3 notes from Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles pre-draft presser
2. Chicago Bears will draft a wide receiver high
When the wide receivers were flying around the market this offseason many fans wanted Ryan Poles to get busy adding. When he missed out the names like D.J. Chark and Christian Kirk fans turned to trades for Tyreek Hill. When Hill was lost, they settled for Devante Parker. Now, the focus changed to Deebo Samuel and Kadarius Toney.
While fans want those names, and Ryan Poles does too, he knows the cost of them, and is unlikely to be the guy prying these talents away from their team.
Poles called some of the deals wide receivers got crazy.
Ryan Poles: "I truly believe in homegrown talent." Calls the cost of some WRs in trades and free agency "crazy." So, he's motivated to make the right move in the draft. He's also reiterated desire to trade down this week -- as long as it is in the right spot.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) April 26, 2022
He also said he believes in homegrown talent and developing his own wide receivers. This means taking one with one of those top 50 picks and watching them grow into a player worth the big money that these wideouts are getting.
There is a market inefficiency right now that shows that a rookie salary wideout could be around $20M cheaper than a veteran wideout. That is a huge advantage if the Bears can hit on it. So, while you want him to add names that you already know, he wants to have those players breakout on his team, and possibly get paid elsewhere, as he can recoup compensatory picks.
Another reason Poles may draft a wide-out high is where he views the depth of the draft.