Ryan Poles concluded his fifth draft as the general manager of the Bears in April, headlining the class with Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. It’s exciting to imagine what could come from his haul in the 2026 NFL Draft, especially seeing the success Chicago had from their rookie class in 2025.
The general belief within the NFL scouting community is that it takes three years to evaluate whether a draft pick was good or not. This coincidences with the fifth-year option deadline, and it gives players
a long enough runway period to get acclimated into the league while putting some accountability on the table once contract extensions become a possibility.
As of this writing, two of Poles’ draft classes as general manager of the Bears have concluded at least three NFL seasons: the 2022 and 2023 classes. There’s a possibility some of these rankings change as the years progress, but there’s enough film and data on these players to know who the good picks were.
These rankings will factor in peak production, longevity, and draft status. For example on the latter: a player who fizzled out as a third-round pick would be ranked lower than a seventh-round pick who fizzled out due to the higher expectations that come with the earlier draft selection. Without further ado, here’s my ranking of all 21 draft picks the Bears made in those two years.
21. Velus Jones Jr.
Originally drafted as a wide receiver in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Velus Jones Jr. only ever caught 12 passes for the Bears. He eventually made the change to running back to improve his chances of making the 53-man roster with a better group of weapons in 2024. His pre-draft specialty as a returner didn’t pan out, as he fumbled four times in 27 games before the Bears released him midway through his third year in Chicago.
20. Zacch Pickens
Zacch Pickens didn’t even make it to his third year with the Bears, as he ended up a roster cut before the start of the 2025 season, which would’ve been Year 3 in his stint. Their 2023 third-round pick didn’t make much of an impact in two years, tallying just 1.5 sacks and 39 tackles. The only reason Pickens isn’t in last place is because he didn’t actively cost the Bears games like Jones did.
19. Tyler Scott
Hand up: I really liked the Tyler Scott pick at the time it was made. The speedster from Cincinnati entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick in 2023 and caught 17 passes for 168 yards as a rookie. He only caught one pass the entire 2024 season, though, and he didn’t offer much value as a special teams defender. The Bears ended up releasing him before the 2025 season, too.
18. Travis Bell
One of Ryan Poles’ “favorite human beings”, Travis Bell was a seventh-round pick in 2022 at defensive tackle but never played a regular season snap with the Bears. He bounced around a few NFL practice squads but most recently won a UFL championship with the Louisville Kings this past season.
17. Trestan Ebner
Part of Baylor’s one-two punch in the backfield including Abram Smith, Trestan Ebner was the speedster of the two, and despite being less heralded in the pre-draft process, was the only one drafted. Unfortunately, he only played one season with the Bears, averaging just 2.3 yards per carry on 24 rushing attempts. Chicago waived him before the 2023 season, and he never signed with another team.
16. Zachary Thomas
One of the three sixth-round picks the Bears made in 2022, Zachary Thomas also never played a snap for the team. He got waived before the start of the regular season and made the practice squad, but he ended up claimed by the Rams in November of that year. Even though he never played for Chicago, the fact that he stuck around the league for a while longer ranks him above Ebner.
15. Trenton Gill
The Bears got two years out of Trenton Gill as their punter, but the results were never great. In both of his years, he finished outside of the top 20 in the NFL in both yards per punt and percentage of punts inside the 20-yard line. He ended up released after Chicago drafted Tory Taylor in 2024. Gill played more than the average seventh-round pick, but the production wasn’t up to par for what you’d hope from using a draft pick on a special teamer.
14. Ja’Tyre Carter
Ja’Tyre Carter ended up starting two games at guard for the Bears in 2023, but his other 11 appearances with the team were as a backup on special teams. He’s currently on a futures deal with the Panthers, so he’s still in the NFL. For a seventh-round pick, you can do worse than someone who’s remained in the league for five years, even if it’s not with the team who drafted him.
13. Kendall Williamson
A seventh-round pick in 2023, Kendall Williamson spent his rookie year on the Bears’ practice squad. However, they didn’t sign him to a futures deal at the end of the regular season, so he became a free agent without ever suiting up for the team. The reason he’s higher than others on this list is because of what he’s done outside of Chicago; he appeared in all 17 games with the Chargers last year, serving as a backup safety and special teams contributor.
12. Doug Kramer
Doug Kramer is the highest ranked of his fellow 2022 sixth-round picks, though that’s not necessarily a high bar. He spent 2024 as a primary backup offensive lineman for the Bears, subbing in as a fullback in some instances. He most notably fumbled a handoff on the goal line in Chicago’s loss to the Commanders that year — you know the one — though that’s more the coaching staff’s fault than anything. Kramer gets some credit for having some staying power with the team, as he was on the Bears for the most part of three years.
11. Roschon Johnson
The first player on this list who’s still on the Bears, Roschon Johnson showed some encouraging flashes in his second NFL season, rushing for six touchdowns on just 55 carries in 2024. With the addition of Kyle Monangai last offseason, though, Johnson took a step back in his offensive role, carrying the ball just twice in 2025. He’s Chicago’s third-string running back and projects as a special teamer heading into 2026.
10. Noah Sewell
Noah Sewell is also still on the Bears’ roster, and he even started in nine games for them in 2025 when T.J. Edwards went down with injury. The results weren’t pretty, though; among 81 qualified linebackers, he ranked just No. 78 with a 64.7 PFN LB Impact Score last year. Sewell has been a serviceable backup and special teamer, though he faces more competition for a roster spot going into 2026.
9. Dominique Robinson
Though he never took that giant leap Bears fans had hoped from him as a developmental edge rusher, Dominique Robinson has made out well for himself as a raw fifth-round pick from Miami (OH) in 2022. He spent four years with the Bears and played in 46 games, tallying 68 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Texans this offseason.
8. Terell Smith
If Terell Smith hadn’t missed the 2025 season due to injury, he’d probably rank higher on this list. He looked the part of great cornerback depth through his first two seasons with the Bears, playing in 26 games and starting in six of them. Heading into the final year of his rookie deal, he’s allowed a passer rating of just 76.9 when targeted in his NFL career thus far.
7. Elijah Hicks
The first player on this list to earn a second contract with the Bears, Elijah Hicks has been a staple on their special teams units each of the last four years. He’s combined for 122 tackles in that time and has even stepped in as a replacement on defense when needed, having started 15 games for Chicago. He came back on a one-year, $2.6 million deal this offseason.
6. Tyrique Stevenson
It’s tough to tell where to rank Tyrique Stevenson, because while he hasn’t fully lived up to expectations, he’s far from the worst result you can get from a second-round pick. Since joining the Bears in 2023, he’s started in 40 games, intercepting seven passes and breaking up 38. He allowed 15.9 yards per catch in 2025 but has never been a major weakness starting at cornerback.
5. Gervon Dexter
A lot of the same sentiment that can be said about Stevenson applies to Dexter, even though there’s a little more production to come with the latter. With a 12.7% career missed tackle rate, he’s been a liability against the run, but he has an impressive 11.0 sacks in his last two years with the Bears. Now in the final year of his rookie deal, Dexter feels primed to make some money with his speed and pass-rushing ability, but he could really help his case by finally improving in run support.
4. Jaquan Brisker
The Bears didn’t bring back Jaquan Brisker at the end of his rookie deal, as he signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Steelers this offseason. However, he started all 52 games he played in Chicago, proving himself versatile with his instincts in coverage and hard-hitting demeanor. He was prone to allowing completions but limited big plays pretty well; all told, he was a perfectly serviceable starter at safety who I anticipated would get more on the open market this March.
3. Braxton Jones
Braxton Jones ranks higher than some of the other players below him for two reasons: he earned a second contract with the Bears, and his accomplishments as a fifth-round pick are more impressive than the most recent three entries’ accomplishments as second-round picks. Jones stepped in and started at left tackle as a rookie in 2022, and he was a serviceable starter from 2022 to 2024. That’s very tough to do for a Day 3 pick out of an FCS school. Injuries cut his 2025 season short, but he earned a one-year, prove-it deal worth $10 million. He figures to start at left tackle for the Bears with Ozzy Trapilo out.
2. Kyler Gordon
At the time of his three-year, $40 million extension in April of 2025, Kyler Gordon was the highest-paid nickel cornerback in the NFL at $13.3 million AAV. His fluidity in coverage, ability to make plays on the ball, and blitzing versatility made him a valuable piece of the Bears’ defense. Going into 2026, a multitude of injuries since then have put his future with the team in doubt. If he can return back to form, though, he should remain one of the top slot cornerbacks in the league.
1. Darnell Wright
As of this writing, Darnell Wright is the only All-Pro that Poles has drafted. It’s been an incredible ascension for Wright, who has gotten better each year since the Bears used a first-round draft pick on him in 2023. He ranked seventh among offensive tackles and fourth among right tackles with an 85.0 PFN OL Impact Score in 2025. He’s a physical, nasty lineman with the movement skills and technical skills to thrive in Ben Johnson’s offense, particularly as a wide-zone run blocker. Wright became the first Bears player to have his fifth-year option picked up since Roquan Smith five years ago, and he’s in line for a big contract extension when the time comes.
