Look, being a Chicago Bears fan is basically a full-time job in emotional management. You spend all winter freezing and all spring convinced that this is the year the front office finally figures it out. We look at the list of bears draft picks by year like they’re winning lottery tickets, only to realize half of them are expired scratch-offs. But honestly? The last few years have felt different. It’s not just the "hope" that kills you anymore; it’s actual, tangible evidence that the roster is being built by someone with a plan rather than someone throwing darts at a board while blindfolded.
The shift from the Ryan Pace era to the Ryan Poles regime is the most jarring change in recent memory. Pace was the king of the "conviction pick," often trading away future capital to move up for "his guy." Think Mitchell Trubisky. Think Justin Fields. Poles, on the other hand, has played a much more patient game, even if it frustrated us at first.
The 2024 and 2025 Classes: A New Foundation
If you want to talk about the most pivotal moment in the history of bears draft picks by year, you have to start with 2024. Getting Caleb Williams at No. 1 and Rome Odunze at No. 9 was like hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. It just doesn't happen to us. Usually, we’re the ones watching other teams draft generational quarterbacks while we settle for a punter or a "project" tight end.
The 2024 haul was lean but heavy on top-end talent:
- Caleb Williams (QB, USC): The pick that changed everything.
- Rome Odunze (WR, Washington): A perfect pairing for a rookie QB.
- Kiran Amegadjie (OT, Yale): A developmental piece that’s starting to show some grit.
- Tory Taylor (P, Iowa): Yes, we drafted a punter in the fourth round. And yes, he’s actually been worth it.
- Austin Booker (DL, Kansas): A late-round flyer that had some serious hype early on.
Then we hit the 2025 draft. It felt like Poles was trying to fill the remaining cracks in the foundation. Taking Colston Loveland, the tight end from Michigan, at No. 10 overall in 2025 was a move that divided the room. Some people wanted more offensive line help. Others saw a "queen on the chessboard" for Caleb Williams. Loveland is basically a giant wide receiver, and his connection with Williams has already started to look like something special.
In the second round of 2025, they went with Luther Burden III, a wideout from Missouri who somehow fell to pick 39. It’s rare to see a team stack that much talent in the receiving corps, but with Keenan Allen getting older, it was a savvy move. They also grabbed Ozzy Trapilo (OT, Boston College) and Shemar Turner (DT, Texas A&M) in the second to shore up the trenches.
The Ryan Poles "Hit Rate" Reality Check
People love to argue on Reddit about whether Poles is actually good at this. One side says he’s a genius who turned the No. 1 pick into a mountain of assets. The other side points to 2022 and 2023 and asks where the stars are. Honestly, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
📖 Related: Heisman Trophy Nominees 2024: The Year the System Almost Broke
If you look at the bears draft picks by year since 2022, the "hit rate" for starters is actually around 38%. In the NFL, that’s actually pretty decent. Most teams are happy if 25% of their picks become long-term contributors.
The 2023 class was a massive "trench" draft. Darnell Wright (OT, Tennessee) at No. 10 looks like a ten-year starter. He’s a mountain of a man who actually enjoys moving other grown men against their will. Then you had Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens, the twin towers for the defensive line. Dexter has been the standout there, showing flashes of that interior pressure that this defense hasn’t had since Akiem Hicks was in his prime.
But 2022? That was the "quantity over quality" year. Poles took Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker with his first two picks (both in the second round). They’ve been solid. Gordon is a "Spider-Man" type of nickel corner, and Brisker is a thumper, though injuries have kept him off the field more than we’d like. The rest of that draft was a lot of late-round swings, like Braxton Jones (5th round), who turned into a starting left tackle—an absolute heist.
Comparing the Pace and Poles Philosophies
It’s impossible to talk about bears draft picks by year without mentioning Ryan Pace. The man lived for the trade-up. He moved up for Leonard Floyd, Mitchell Trubisky, Anthony Miller, David Montgomery, and Justin Fields.
Pace was looking for the "blue chip" superstar at all costs. Sometimes it worked (Roquan Smith, Jaylon Johnson). Sometimes it left the cupboards completely bare. When Poles took over, he did the opposite. He traded back. He accumulated picks. He took guys with high RAS (Relative Athletic Scores) because he bets on athleticism and coaching.
The 2021 draft was the climax of the Pace era. Trading up for Justin Fields was a move that had the entire city of Chicago convinced the curse was over. We also got Teven Jenkins in that draft, who is arguably the most talented offensive lineman on the team when he’s not on the injury report. But look at the rest of that list: Khalil Herbert (solid), Dazz Newsome (gone), Thomas Graham Jr. (gone). It was a top-heavy strategy that didn't provide enough depth.
👉 See also: When Was the MLS Founded? The Chaotic Truth About American Soccer's Rebirth
The 2020 Draft: The Last Great Stand?
A lot of people forget how good the 2020 class actually was. In terms of bears draft picks by year, 2020 gave us two of the most important players currently on the roster: Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson.
Kmet was the first tight end off the board at No. 43. People hated the pick at the time because the Bears already had like ten tight ends on the roster (mostly veterans past their prime). But Kmet has turned into a rock. He’s a Chicago kid who plays like it. Then there’s Jaylon Johnson at No. 50. He’s now one of the highest-paid corners in the league and a literal lockdown defender.
We also got Darnell Mooney in the fifth round that year. A total steal. He’s not with the team anymore, but for a 5th-round pick to produce 1,000 yards in a season is a massive win for any scouting department.
Navigating the Misconceptions
One of the biggest lies fans tell themselves is that you can judge a draft class after one year. You can't.
Take the 2023 class. By the end of their rookie season, people were calling Zacch Pickens a bust and questioning the Tyrique Stevenson pick. Fast forward a year, and Stevenson is a ball-hawking corner who fits the "HITS" principle perfectly. Pickens is still a work in progress, but the interior defensive line is a notoriously slow-developing position.
Another misconception? That high-round picks are the only ones that matter. If you look at the bears draft picks by year, some of our most consistent players were found in the "basement" of the draft.
✨ Don't miss: Navy Notre Dame Football: Why This Rivalry Still Hits Different
- Braxton Jones (2022, Round 5): A starting LT from Southern Utah.
- Terell Smith (2023, Round 5): A physical corner who provides elite depth.
- Jack Sanborn (UDFA): Not a draft pick, but an example of the scouting department finding talent where others didn't.
Realities of the Current Roster
Right now, the Bears are in a "window." With Caleb Williams on a rookie contract, the pressure is on the draft picks from 2023, 2024, and 2025 to perform immediately. We can't afford "redshirt" years for guys like Kiran Amegadjie or Shemar Turner.
The defense is largely built on the backs of the 2020 and 2022 classes. The offense is a 2024 and 2025 creation. It’s a weird, hybrid roster that is finally starting to look like a cohesive unit.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
When you're tracking the bears draft picks by year, don't just look at the highlights. Look at the snap counts. A 4th-round pick who plays 400 snaps on special teams and 200 on defense is a successful pick.
- Watch the "Year 3 Jump": This is when players like Gervon Dexter Sr. need to become Pro Bowl-caliber. If they don't, the "Poles is a genius" narrative starts to crumble.
- Value the Draft Capital: The trade with Carolina (sending the No. 1 pick for DJ Moore and a haul) is the single greatest transaction in franchise history. It essentially allowed the Bears to skip three years of "rebuilding."
- Trenches First: No matter how flashy Caleb Williams or Rome Odunze are, the success of these draft classes hinges on the development of Wright, Amegadjie, and the 2025 additions.
The Chicago Bears have historically been a team that wins despite their quarterback. For the first time, because of how they've handled their draft picks by year recently, they have a chance to be a team that wins because of him. But he needs the 2022 and 2023 classes to provide the shield and the 2025 class to provide the additional weapons. It’s all connected.
To stay ahead of the curve on how these prospects are developing, you should keep a close eye on the weekly snap-count distributions. It often reveals who the coaching staff actually trusts versus who is just a "name" on the depth chart. Watching the development of mid-round defensive linemen from the 2024 and 2025 classes will tell you more about the team's playoff ceiling than any Caleb Williams highlight reel ever could.