Ryan Poles Revealed Which Player Had Best Reaction To Their Draft Call

One of the biggest joys of any GM in the NFL is being able to make that phone call when a team makes a draft pick to tell the player they've found a new home. Ryan Poles understands the gravity of that situation. He didn't get the opportunity to receive that call in 2008 as an offensive lineman from Boston College. His career was tragically derailed by an injury. Rather than try to play out the string, he decided to pivot into a scouting career. Just over a decade later, he took over the Chicago Bears.

Now he's completed his second draft as their GM, having made a total of 21 phone calls along the way. There have been plenty of good ones thus far. Jaquan Brisker probably had the best one last year, declaring to everybody that he would be the steal of the entire draft. He wasn't a liar. The young safety led the team in sacks and was among the leaders in tackles. So did anybody top him in the 2023 class? Poles revealed his favorite one during an interview with Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com.

When Poles called (Travis) Bell, the 6-1, 280-pounder defensive tackle began to cry—after becoming the first player in Kennesaw State history to be drafted. Last Saturday night, Poles described Bell as "probably one of my favorite human beings" after the two had bonded during a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall.

"I had a couple people come up to me and say: 'He didn't even want to leave; he wanted to stay here and be a Bear,'" Poles said. "So to make that come true on draft night was really cool."

Ryan Poles wanted to make that dream come true.

He was an immediate fan of Bell from the moment they met. The Bears GM already liked what he saw on film. When he got a taste of the person the defensive tackle was, it became obvious he'd find a way to draft him. Poles kept that promise, snagging Bell in the 7th. People must understand the gravity of this. Kennesaw State's football program was founded in 2015. Before then, the university had always been more of a baseball and basketball school. They quickly went on to have some successful seasons right out of the gate, including four appearances in the FCS playoffs. However, none of their players managed to crack the draft.

Bell finally broke through, and it wasn't just a charity case. His mixture of quickness, power, and motor made him a viable athlete Ryan Poles and the Bears would target. Don't forget Trenton Gill and Elijah Hicks were both 7th round picks last year. Both ended up making significant contributions as rookies. Bell will get the same opportunity. Hopefully, the organization releases a video of that phone at some point in the near future.