Larry Mayer

With four of the top 72 picks in this week's NFL Draft, the Bears have an excellent opportunity to bolster their roster.

They have their own selections in the first (No. 10), second (No. 41) and third (No. 72) rounds and a second-round choice (No. 39) obtained as part of a blockbuster trade with the Panthers in 2023. The Bears have picked four players in the first 72 slots in just one draft since 2002.

"They've very valuable to us," said general manager Ryan Poles. "I think we can do some really good things to add to our football team and bring good players in.

"I feel really confident with where we're at. I think this one's going to be a little wild, but we're going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that pop up."

Asked why the draft could be "a little wild," Poles said: "It's deeper in certain areas than others. Usually, the cutoff is a little bit quicker, I think once you get into [the second or third round]. And this one is going to be a little bit different. So I think there is going to be a lot more movement than there has been in the past."

Interestingly, this is the first time since the modern draft era started in 1967 that there have been no trades involving a first-round pick this close to the draft. But that could change before or during the first round Thursday night.

"It could get wild," said Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham. "Sit back and watch. We'll see."

Cunningham was asked what makes this year's draft unique.

"The amount of top-tiered talent, while it's good, the volume isn't necessarily there," he said. "I feel like there's a few clumps of groups of players that are really good, but they're similar in terms of value. I feel like there's good depth in certain positions."

At No. 10, Poles said that the Bears are considering "a large pool of very good football players. And then I think you can do some different things to get more players who are going to be able to come in and help your team more quickly."

Poles and Cunningham both discussed how smoothly their collaboration has been with first-year coach Ben Johnson and his staff during the pre-draft process.

"The time working with Ben throughout this has been great," Poles said, "some really good communication, some great discussions as we set the board and get prepared for the draft."

Johnson, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen met with Poles and the personnel department what traits they're seeking in players.

"One of the best things we did was when they first got here in February, we had 'DA' and the whole defensive coaching staff come into the draft room and they met with all of our scouts, all of our personnel, all of our analytics and told us what they were looking for at each position," Cunningham said.

"It is super helpful for all of us to be on the same page to know what we're looking for. We did the same thing with Declan and the offensive coaching staff, and then after that was done Ben stayed in and was able to share his two cents as well. That communication up front is super important. It paints a picture for us so that we can go out and get the perfect players for them."

Cunningham said that the personnel department didn't have to make many alterations after meeting with the coaches.

"There is a little bit of an adjustment just in terms of you're evaluating for a certain scheme," he said. "Offensively, it didn't change that much; defensively, a little bit. But our scouts are awesome, and 'DA' did an outstanding job of communicating exactly what he wanted, so for us to make that transition, it was fairly seamless."