Over the last decade-plus, the Chicago Bears have not had much success, but the Ryan Poles-Ben Johnson era has seen a change at guard, giving fans in the Windy City hope.
Last year's 11-6 division champion team was only the third time since 2018 the Bears made the playoffs and the second time since that same date to win the NFC North. Much of that is due to the new talent and rookies the Bears selected to help them get to that point, but the hope is that at least one superstar comes out of that group.
That's because the Bears have not been very well known for producing homegrown All-Pro talent. PFSN shared that the last Bears player to be drafted by the team to earn a first-team All-Pro selection was linebacker Roquan Smith in 2018.
Ryan Poles has an eight-year drought he must end soon
The good news is that Poles are already on the right track in that category. Just last season, 2023 first-round pick right tackle Darnell Wright earned a second-team All-Pro selection, the first time he has done that in his NFL career.
There is good talent that Poles has drafted over the years that he can be proud of and might be able to earn first-team All-Pro selections soon enough. Guys like Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland have already shown promise that they can get to that point, but it might take a while.
Poles has had a mixed bag when it comes to selecting good talent in the NFL Draft since taking over as the Bears' general manager in 2022. Wright is the only player Poles has selected who has earned second-team All-Pro honors, but none of Poles' 34 selections before the 2026 draft have made the Pro Bowl.
Read more: Two key people should give Bears fans every reason to believe in 2026
While the Poles have had more success finding talent outside the draft, at some point, the Bears have to get better at developing homegrown talent, or it will catch up to them, leaving no Super Bowls in their future.
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