Ryan Poles, Who Loves Local Products, May Have Found His Next One

GM Ryan Poles operates in certain ways that aren’t entirely similar to others. One of his rather unique quirks is a love for adding players to the roster with local roots. He’s done this since taking over in 2022. Among the names he’s added include Jack Sanborn (Lake Zurich), T.J. Edwards (Lake Villa), Scott Daly (Downers Grove), Doug Kramer (Hinsdale), Kiran Amegadjie (Hinsdale), Dan Feeney (Orland Park), and Robert Tonyan (McHenry). The Chicago Bears are always on the lookout for local guys who might bring a little extra juice to the team they grew up watching.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise they may have circled another such name ahead of the upcoming 2025 draft. According to Jackson Gross of SB Nation, the Bears have been keeping an eye on standout Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant. He had a breakout season for the Illini, posting 984 yards with 10 touchdowns.

Ryan Poles’ interest in Bryant isn’t hard to explain.

He has good size at 6’2, 208 lbs. His strong hands and body control allow him to win on contested catches a lot. He is also craftier as a route runner than he gets credit for. The only thing holding him back is a lack of speed. Throw in a clear willingness to block in the run game, and this is the type of player Ryan Poles has traditionally targeted. Bryant has often drawn comparisons to Baltimore Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman. He won’t ever be a star, but he has the perfect makeup of a reliable #3 option. Expectations are that Bryant will go somewhere early on day three of the draft in the 4th or 5th rounds. Chicago doesn’t have a 4th rounder at this stage, so they’d need him to slip into the 5th. He would provide some quality depth.