Ryan Poles: ‘No One’s Gonna Rush Me’ On No.1 Pick
The Chicago Bears are in a highly advantageous draft position, and general manager Ryan Poles knows it.
The Bears hold the No.1 overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, and it’s likely they’ll trade it.Â
Justin Fields retains the faith of the organization, meaning Chicago doesn’t need to recruit another quarterback. There are several other teams who do, however, and would make a trade worth the Bears’ while.
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Ryan Poles says whoever wants to secure the No.1 pick early will ‘have to go above and beyond.’Â
Chicago can afford to be demanding because they can have their cake and eat it too this year. The franchise could feasibly set themselves up for years to come while still drafting a top 6 player this year.
“Should we do this before free agency? Or should we wait?” Ryan Poles said.Â
“I don’t know. That’s what I’ve communicated [to teams]. I could carry this all the way until we’re on the clock the night of the draft. But then there’s teams that want some certainty because, ‘If I need a quarterback bad, should I do that now when some of these guys, like Derek Carr, are out there?’ To me, they’ve got to go so much more above to do it now.
“I’m not greedy with it. But they’re gonna have to go above and beyond to close the door now.”
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“No one’s gonna rush me,” Poles told King. “I know I can get a ’24 one and a ’25 one. You’re telling me for the next two years I’ll have two ones? That’s either four really good players, or if we’re cruising, we can still trade back.”
