Ryan Poles Was Surprisingly Honest About His Possible Target At #9
Ryan Poles understands how important television is to the NFL draft. So he was coy about his plans for the #1 overall pick, even though everybody knows the Chicago Bears are taking Caleb Williams. He said to wait for Thursday night when they’re on the clock. As for the 9th overall pick, even Poles doesn’t know. That is because he can’t predict how the board may fall from picks 2-8. There could be unexpected developments that force the Bears GM to switch gears. However, the evidence to this point is relatively clear.
People around the league believe the Bears will go one of two directions at #9 if they choose to stay put. They will either take one of the top wide receivers or grab a pass rusher. Here is where it gets interesting. Poles was asked at his pre-draft press conference whether he feels a dynamic edge rusher or interior rusher is more important to his team’s philosophy. His answer was telling.
Experts have connected the Bears to multiple top edge rushers in this class, such as Dallas Turner, Jared Verse, and Laiatu Latu. Yet, based on Poles’ comments, the name to watch tomorrow night is Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy.
Ryan Poles is still a partner of Matt Eberflus.
That is a relationship that can’t be overstated. The Bears head coach wants to run this organization through his defense. A Tampa-2 scheme functions at its best when it has a dynamic interior pass rusher. Think Warren Sapp in Tampa Bay, Tommie Harris in Chicago, Kevin Williams in Minnesota, and Ed Oliver in Buffalo. Murphy has drawn comparisons to Oliver leading up to the draft. While on the shorter side at 6’0, he has decent length, good lower body strength, and elite explosiveness. When allowed to shoot gaps, he could wreck offenses.
A combo of him and Montez Sweat could be a big problem for opponents to handle. Everything depends on how the board falls and Ryan Poles’ priorities. Some think he’s determined to help Williams as much as possible on offense. Adding another weapon would undoubtedly do that. Still, if the receivers are off the board, adding a pass rusher becomes the obvious play. Based on his comments on Tuesday, it would be shocking if Murphy wasn’t their pick.