Ryan Poles Explained Why His First Draft With Bears Was A Nightmare

Ryan Poles knew what he was getting into when he took over the Chicago Bears in January 2022. He'd done his research on the organization during the interview process. It was an old, expensive, and declining team. To him, that meant it would require a complete teardown and rebuilding from scratch. He didn't mind that part. He'd been through rebuilds before. He needed to know whether ownership would sign off on such an approach. When George McCaskey gave him the green light, everything came together.

Poles didn't flinch in the face of all the work he had to do. He attacked the responsibilities with restless energy every day. While he viewed it as necessary in order to get things moving in the right direction, it led to some sacrifices he admits might've gone a little too far. Courtney Cronin of ESPN found that out when he told a story of how his first draft went.

THREE MONTHS AFTER he was hired as the Bears GM on Jan. 25, Poles was sleeping at Halas Hall during his first draft.

"That was not healthy doing that last year," Poles said. "I don't ever want to go through that again.

"But it was necessary to get the job done, so a little bit different approach."

Poles doesn't regret the players he drafted, but it became clear right away that he needed to adjust his approach moving forward. Getting proper rest is a vital part of how a GM must operate.

Ryan Poles learned his lessons from that time.

He appears to have managed the schedule far better during the 2023 draft process. Though he was still relentless in his evaluations, he made sure to step away for brief periods to keep his head clear. That would explain why he was able to handle trading the #1 overall pick so well. Not only did the move net him a stud receiver in D.J. Moore, but it also secured a potential franchise tackle in Darnell Wright. If nothing else, it's nice to see he learned a valuable lesson from his first year on the job.

Nothing can cloud your decision-making faster than exhaustion. Nobody gets a good night's sleep on a couch. Ryan Poles' dedication is admirable. Making such sacrifices is proof he takes this job seriously. He wants to win. Still, nobody should have to give up sleep for any job. The Bears are in good hands. Poles will continue to work his tail off, striving to find any advantage possible to give his team an edge. If that requires extra hours away from his bed, so be it.