How much do you trust the Bears’ draft process when it comes to defense? (Hour 2)
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How confident are fans in the Bears' draft strategy for defense?
Philosophically, I feel the same. It's going to be the best player available. I know that may not be the most popular thing because people see kind of like on my board have yellow tags where we need to fill in. But at the same time, I do believe, especially in early rounds like one, you really got to stick the best player available. We saw that last year. I know there's a lot of questions like, yeah, Cole, why would you take Colston? I think we found out that it helped us along the way. So we'll continue to lean in that philosophy.
Welcome back into Rahimi Harris and Grody Ryan Poles, the general manager of the Chicago Bears at the Combine. He got it right last year. He did. Best player available. I don't blame him for pointing to his 2025 resume and say, see, we did it. We took the best player available, and he's right. It was a little bit of a surprise that they went with Colston Loveland. Really, the big surprise was that they didn't go with Tyler Warren in that spot, but I think that we can all agree that we're pretty happy with that. Luther Bird in the second rounder, which probably took some people off guard as well, and then Ozzie Trapillo as well, one of those second rounders. So, yes, It's a pillow. That's right, Chris.
I do appreciate it. This segment on Rahimi Harrison-Grody is being brought to you by AlmostFreeTeeth.com. Save on dental implants today. Marshall, I think that we probably both agree that this is, in the Ryan Poles era, one of the more important drafts when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. because, for whatever reason, they haven't done a whole lot when it comes to beefing up specifically the defensive line and all parts of it, whether the interior, the defensive end. There has not been a splash made, unless you are one of those that thinks that, die-oh-dang-bo, that we ain't seen nothing yet. Watch the film. Let's see what he can do coming off of a torn ACL. Let's see what he can do. If Shamar Turner, a second-rounder, if he is the truth with the energy that that guy has,
But you would agree that this is probably like he's got to hit on something on that defensive line this year in this draft where the Bears do have a couple of second rounders.
Nobody hits all the time, but I will just want to really stress this. They hit last year offensively on the draft. And if they get something like that for defense this year, all's good in the world of Ryan Poles. The problem is I don't see the evidence that that's what's going to happen based on what we've seen through his picks. You talked about the interior, the defensive line, whether that's D-tackle, whether that's edge rush. It just has not happened through the draft. Now, Austin Booker is someone to keep an eye on. I will say that in fairness. He's someone to keep an eye on. He may take another leap in year three, and that's what they're expecting because they have to draft and develop. But... If you just lay out the needs of the Bears right now, after that first wave of free agency, and understanding what they need, both in the secondary, at safety, and up front, specifically, and maybe even at linebacker, depending on what they decide to do, who falls to what where, and understanding they have three picks in the first two rounds, I would imagine two, at least, of those picks would be defensive players.
And so they need to hit. And I'm just really concerned that... offensively, Ben Johnson has been the North Star. Defensively, who is the North Star for the Bears within that organization with these specific needs that they have?
Well, I guess Dennis Allen, if we're going to do the coaching analogy that Ben Johnson is the offense, as Dennis Allen is to the defense, if he has... that much say in what they're doing. Let me just go through here. You mentioned the drafting for Ryan Poles through the years on defense. Last year, I already mentioned Shamar Turner. Jury's still out. I'm not going to sit here and predict that he's going to have 10 sacks and be a revelation, but he is a second-round talent.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How confident are fans in the Bears' draft strategy for defense?
0:02–5:23
2
What does Ryan Poles' draft history reveal about the Bears' defense?
5:23–11:29
3
Which defensive players should the Bears target in the upcoming draft?
11:29–17:14
4
What are the implications of drafting best player available versus filling needs?
17:14–23:08
5
How do recent drafts impact the Bears' current defensive lineup?
23:08–29:29
6
What role does coaching play in the Bears' defensive strategy?
29:29–35:00
7
How does media coverage affect the perception of the Bears' draft decisions?
35:00–39:38
8
What are the predictions for the Bears' performance based on their draft choices?
39:38–42:50
Speakers
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