Chicago Bears New: 5 takeaways from NFL combine

2. Giving Ryan Poles credit for a weak wide receiver class

The Chicago Bears trading the 32nd overall pick for Chase Claypool is a bad move that did not work out the way they wanted it to so far. Still, the idea behind it makes sense. Ryan Poles said when he traded for Claypool that he was not thrilled with the potential free agents, and did not trust the draft to fill that hole.

He was proven right when we saw the names of free agent wideouts, but with a finer-tooth-comb look through the wide receivers in the draft, it is clear Poles was onto something.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba will go before pick 32, but he did not run a 40-yard dash because it will be 4.5 at best. Jordan Addison ran a 4.49 40-yard dash, which is fine if you look away from the idea that he is just 173 pounds. Quentin Johnston is the rawest of the three, and may only end up as good as Claypool.

After that is a bunch of players who are younger, and on better contracts than Claypool, but none are locks to be more productive than Claypool next season. This wide receiver class features a lot of small players, and not all of them are fast enough to be that small. All of them have questions here and there.

The Chicago Bears overpaid for Chase Claypool, but they might not have found a better wide receiver at 32, so they filled the need. Ryan Poles figured this group was not great and may be right.