Poles, Johnson expect draft picks to create competition across the board for Bears
The Chicago Bears ended up selecting seven players in the NFL Draft — three defensive players and four on the offensive side.
The Bears picked Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft this past Thursday night. With their lowest first-round selection in more than a decade, the Bears addressed a defensive position of need.
On Friday, the Bears selected Iowa center Logan Jones in the second round, and Stanford tight end Sam Roush and LSU wide receiver and return specialist Zavion Thomas in the third round.
On Saturday, the Bears picked three defensive prospects — Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott in the fifth round, and Georgia Tech tackle Jordan van den Burg in the sixth round.
The Bears are also bringing in a number of undrafted free agents — including Caleb Williams' former replacement at quarterback at USC, Miller Moss.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson believe their seven draft picks will create competition across the board — just not when it comes to edge rushers. The Bears didn't draft an edge rusher this year, saying they didn't want to force the issue to fill a perceived need.
"I thought we were disciplined. Again, we've said this a few times, just following the board for the best player that was available to us. I think one thing that we'll take real seriously is each year we'll go back and review our process and review the draft, and see where we could have done something a little bit different, and learn from that, and then just keep getting better as we go," said Poles. "But I liked the approach that we had — came away with some really good players. And like I've said before, with any position, we're going to stay active."
Johnson noted improvement in pass rushing and other skills with some specific players last season.
"We were excited about the guys that ended up finishing the season on IR — the trajectory they were on, both Dayo [Odeyingbo] and Shemar [Turner], when you look at it from the start of the season to the point where they both got injured, we saw growth, and we saw them trending in the right direction in terms of what we want to see on game day," Johnson said. "I think [Montez] Sweat had one of his better years in the NFL — whether that shows up in the sack totals or not, he's a very complete player, both run game and pass game, and I think you saw tremendous growth from [Austin] Booker when we were finally able to get him back as well, so a combination of us being able to coach better, and those guys taking the next step as part of the system, you know, I think we've got some pretty good pieces to work with."
Even though Johnson is an offensive coach, he said he can't wait to see what Thieneman brings to the team.
"Being an offense guy, it's rare that you see a safety as a guy you that you really worry about, and yet it was pretty quicky that you could turn on his tape and realize he's always around the football. He's got a knack for the football. He's a great tackler, and when he does it, he does it with violence," Johnson said. "So to me, his style of play showed up."
Two of Friday's picks, Jones and Roush, met the sports news media at Halas Hall. Both are coming in ready to compete, even if they're not expected to be day-one starters.
"I think the mindset, you know, you always prepare as if you're a starter, right? And obviously, you know, [center Garrett] Bradbury's here. He's been in the league for a long time, you know, and you've got a bunch of other guards…. Like I've just got to learn from them and ask them questions, and obviously, there's a competition part of it."
"Chicago, top five in 12 and 13 personnel usage. Obviously, it's an extremely talented tight-end room, and you know, that's something that's going to get talked about," said Roush. "But you know, I'm going to come in and I'm going to compete, and iron sharpens iron, and I'm going to make the room better, and you know, I'm really excited to learn from those guys."
Coach Johnson said the Bears they were focused on finding players with the right DNA. He expects the new class to complement a tight-knit group who made a playoff run last year.