Bears GM Ryan Poles says 'tune in on Thursday' for No. 1 overall pick at the NFL draft

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears know who they’re taking with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and so does just about everyone else too.

General manager Ryan Poles just wasn’t ready to announce it’s Caleb Williams on Tuesday. He opted to leave that to commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday night.

“So unfortunately it’s one of those things I think everyone’s got to tune in on Thursday to watch and figure out, but I feel really good about our process and where we are and where we’re headed,” Poles said, smiling. “So we know what we’re going to do but everyone is going to have to wait until Thursday to go there.”

Barring a massive surprise, the Bears will kick off the draft by grabbing the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and setting themselves on a course they hope takes them to the top of the NFL. They also have the ninth overall pick as well as a third-rounder (75) and a fourth-rounder (122).