Go inside the Bears 2024 NFL Draft war room in their latest edition of ‘1920 Football Drive'
Go inside the Bears 2024 NFL Draft war room in their latest edition of ‘1920 Football Drive' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
In the latest edition of the Bears' YouTube series "1920 Football Drive," they recap the offseason leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
The video joins a trend of NFL teams giving insider access to fans in the war room during the draft. Viewers see everything for the Bears, including their conversations leading up to drafting Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, as well as Ryan Poles' classic reaction to the Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr.
There were plenty of comical moments, too. Combine scout Ryan Weese presumably typed "Caleb Williams" into the Bears' draft card. Poles fired back with a hilarious quip.
"You just assume, huh?"
Then, the tension rises. Poles admitted to the media after the draft he nearly jumped the gun on a trade-up to try and get Odunze, but Ian Cunningham kept him from doing so. You can feel the tension and see the nerves in the room as they await the teams before them to pick.
After the Titans picked JC Latham, Poles cracked a big smile. Cunningham informed him they owned a 77% chance of Odunze landing at their feet. After the Penix Jr. pick --- which shocked everyone in the room --- the war room started the hugs and high-fives.
Poles and the room were stunned they didn't have to trade up. Clearly, they were willing to cough up some capital to make it happen. But it worked out exactly how they drew it up.
For the rest of the draft, viewers get to see the room come to decisions on the rest of the picks, including trading back into the draft for Kansas edge Austin Booker. It's a fascinating video.
In the end, Poles wrapped up the draft with an excellent recap speech for his team.
"I want to say thank you to everyone," Poles said. "That was one of the best draft experiences I've ever had. But it's due to all the hard work everyone put in. Well prepared, and it just felt the way it was supposed to. And obviously at the end we had to make some moves to finish up strong. But I just want to say thank you to everyone for the time they put into it. There's a lot of hours that go into picking a couple guys."
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