Ryan Poles is comfortable with Bears holding only 4 draft picks: 'I feel really good with where we're at'

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The Bears hold the No. 1 and No. 9 overall picks in the NFL Draft, but they have just two more selections in hand after that.

Despite that, Bears general manager Ryan Poles is unconcerned about the limited draft capital.

“I feel really good with where we’re at,” Poles said Tuesday.

The Bears’ lone picks outside of the first round are in the third round at No. 75 overall and in the fourth round at No. 122 overall. Chicago traded its second-round pick to Washington for Pro Bowl pass rusher Montez Sweat, its fourth-round selection to the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen and its fifth-round pick to Buffalo for versatile offensive lineman Ryan Bates.

The Bears are comfortable with their lack of draft capital both because of the strength of their roster currently and also the prospects who are available. Only 54 underclassmen declared for the draft this year, compared to 108 back in 2018. Potential draft prospects have found allure in staying put in the college game due to NIL deals.

“We both feel comfortable with how the board set based off of the draft class,” Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham said. “Each year is different, right?

“We kind of have to work in the constructs of this year with what we have given to us.”

The Bears currently hold nine picks in the 2025 NFL Draft – including an extra second-round and an extra sixth-round pick – which could be used to acquire an extra pick in this draft if Chicago sees a prospect that it really likes.

The Bears selected 11 players during Poles’ first draft in Chicago in 2022, then 10 last year. Four picks would mark the fewest made in franchise history.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .