GM Ryan Poles opens up on selecting two defensive players with his first picks in the draft
If I would have told you prior to the NFL draft that the Chicago Bears would be drafting a defensive player with their two first selections, you would have never believed me. However, it actually did happen. While it was surprising, it kind of made sense.
When the bears were on the clock with the 39th pick, they selected CB Kyler Gordon. Poles talks with Courtney Cronin about his decisions. It seems like Poles never ever expected Gordon to be in play for the Bears.
«There's actually one time we ran it through and he was there, and we said just ignore him, just act like it's not there,» Poles said, reflecting a belief Gordon would be drafted by the time the Bears picked. «So when it actually happened, it was a really cool moment, and we're excited about adding a guy that I believe is going to be a starting-caliber corner.»
As for the second defensive player drafted, it happened about 30 minutes after. With the 48th pick, the Bears drafted Saftey, Jaquan Brisker.
«I'm an offensive line guy,» said Poles, who played the position at Boston College. «Obviously, I would fire away at all of them if I could, but it really comes down to the preparation. It comes down to the board and where guys are valued. And where we sat, there were two good starting-level defensive players, and I would have made a huge mistake for this organization to say, �Let's leave them there, let someone else take them, and we're going to go offense where they're not on the same level,' and you're kicking yourself a year or two later when that guy's an All-Pro.
«I just did what I needed at the time, so again it comes back to discipline and doing things the right [way], and I felt like that's going to be a decision that we're all happy with.»
«I just did what I needed at the time, so again it comes back to discipline and doing things the right [way], and I felt like that's going to be a decision that we're all happy with.»
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