Ryan Poles' clear-cut plan for Bears' 2026 draft is fully backed by data

Speaking about free agency back in March, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said, "We wanted speed and explosiveness" when it came to players who were signed. That template was easily transferable to the draft, with the natural idea of getting younger in spots following notable free agent departures.

It's safe to say Poles and head coach Ben Johnson feel they found seven players who fit the team's all-around DNA in this year's draft. Beyond the skill set each possesses and how they fit in that way, "what we want to be about" is just as important, as it should be.

But Poles' comments about free agent signings revealed what has been prominently on his mind this offseason. That message about explosiveness and athleticism was undoubtedly sent to everyone involved, from Day 1 of the offseason through the team's last of its 30 allotted pre-draft visits.

Ryan Poles' plan for Bears' 2026 draft is backed by data

By average Relative Athletic Score (RAS), highlighted by defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg's 9.99 (though a 10.0 can be seen too), the Bears had the second-most athletic 2026 draft class in the league.

If Thomas didn't get low marks for his height and weight to push his number down to 8.79, the Bears might've had the most athletic draft class this year based on RAS. As noted below, three of the No. 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers' seven draft picks didn't register a RAS, while all seven of the Bears' picks had one.

NFL Next Gen Stats, on the other hand, had the Bears' 2026 draft class No.1 based on its Athleticism Score metric. They also didn't give Berg an Athleticism Score, which makes sense because he wasn't invited to the NFL Combine and therefore didn't post numbers that would be considered appropriate. But if he had posted an Athleticism Score, we can bet it would've been quite good.

Even if he didn't say it in so many words in those aforementioned comments, Poles made it clear the Bears would continue pursuing their goal of adding speed and athleticism to the roster during the draft.

Read more: One fact perfectly sums up just how much of a draft steal a Bears' legend was

Not only was that goal accomplished in spades, but those unteachable traits were also clearly a differentiator (at the same position, or not) if draft prospects were otherwise regarded as equal. Now it's up to Johnson and his staff to mold all these high-end athletes into long-term mainstays on the Bears' roster.

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