Ryan Poles’ Biggest Steal Of 2022 Should Not Have Happened
As Chicago Bears GM, Ryan Poles faced a challenging situation right out of the gate. Not only would he have to rebuild the oldest roster in the NFL, but he’d have to do it on a tight budget. Thanks to bad contracts and no 1st round pick, he was limited in resources. That means he would have to take some calculated swings on less heralded players in hopes of getting lucky. It’s why he maneuvered to secure eight Day 3 draft picks and then signed almost two dozen undrafted free agents. The idea was simple. Cast a wide net, hoping you find one or two quality players.
One can only imagine the smile Poles had on his face watching Jack Sanborn on Sunday. He finished with 12 tackles and two sacks against the Detroit Lions, with an interception taken away by a bad penalty call from the officials. It isn’t the type of performance expected from a rookie, much less an undrafted one. Here is the thing, though. Sanborn isn’t your everyday undrafted player. He didn’t come out of college with an injury. He didn’t make his name at a small school.
Sanborn was the heart and soul of Wisconsin’s defense for three years. He was highly productive (221 tackles, 29 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, 4 INTs). The game tape showed a good player. The only explanation people had for him not getting drafted was his average athleticism. Even that was an overblown criticism. Sanborn ran a 4.73 in the 40-yard dash. For a little context, Lance Briggs ran a 4.75. Vontaze Burfict ran a 5.00. Lofa Tatupu ran a 4.83. Those guys were pretty good anyway.
Ryan Poles knew he had leverage if Sanborn went undrafted.
The linebacker is a native of Lake Zurich in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. No question, he’d jump at the chance to play for his hometown team. Now here he is, manning the middle of their defense and making more plays than anybody. No, it doesn’t mean he is a future superstar. It means he likely could end up becoming a long-term starter, a vital role player that helps do the dirty work in support of the stars. Think another Hunter Hillenmeyer or Barry Minter.
Getting somebody like that in the 2nd or 3rd round is nice. Getting him on the undrafted market is how you build an eventual winning team. Ryan Poles deserves tons of credit for putting Sanborn on this roster. The rest of the NFL should be shaking their heads for not drafting him in the first place. He was far better than several prospects that heard their names called as early as the 4th round. He did everything required to earn that honor except not be relatively as quick or fast as people would like. This is why the draft will forever be an inexact science.