Bears' Draft: Make-or-Break for Poles Era

0:00On April 23rd, Chicago Bears heading into a maker-break draft in the Ryan Poles era. Poles turned this team around last season, getting them back to the playoffs for the first time in years. But things shifted after the 2025 NFL draft, with assistant GM Ian Cunningham jumping to the Atlanta Falcons as their new GM. Bears replaced him quick with Jeff King, who's all about building competition. Off-season shook up the roster too, saying goodbye to starters like DJ Moore, Tremaine Edmonds, Kevin Byard and Jacquan Brisker. All eyes on that 25th overall pick, but the 57th pick got a cool twist. Hines catch-ups hooking up the player with a lifetime supply and a custom jacket, partnering with Bears legend Devon Hester. Last time they held that spot was 2006, when they grabbed Hester. Fans buzzing about the defense after a mixed bag last year, offense exploded into the top 15 in passing, rushing and scoring. But defense leaked everywhere, bottom 10 in yards and points allowed,

1:01even with league-leading takeaways. Poles eyeing edge rushers or defensive tackles at 25 to fix that pass rush, which ranked 22nd with just 35 sacks despite. Montes sweats 10. Run defense was rough too, sixth the worst in rushing yards per game. Safety depth needed after losing Byard and Brisker, even with Kobe Bryant signing. Poles got that knack for late-round steals, like last year's rookies Luther Burton, Ozzie Trapello, and Kyle Moninguy, who all started. Whoever they snag at 57 could be next big thing, keeping Bears contenders rolling strong. That wraps NFL News today, brought to you with AI.