Bears GM Ryan Poles managed to fill some holes in this year’s NFL Draft, but he left one very big hole unaddressed. Let’stake a look back:

After the draft, the Bears signed Shepherd QB Tyson Bagent as an undrafted free agent. It’ll be a big step up in competition for him from Division II, but he did have a prolific career for the Rams and has a chance to be the third quarterback if he performs well enough in training camp/preseason.

Tailback was lower on the Bears’ list of needs going into the draft, but when Texas’ Roschon Johnson was still on the board in the fourth round, Poles couldn’t believe his luck and selected the Longhorn with the 115^th overall pick. At 6-0 219, Johnson is a violent, bruising runner whose 45 percent missed tackle rate over the past two seasons was the highest of any back in the country. He might not have elite speed (4.58 40) or quickness, but he will gladly run over you. He also catches the ball well, pass protects very well, he’s great on special teams, and his character is impeccable. Whether it’s Poles, Bears scouts, or the great Bijan Robinson himself, everyone seems to talk about Johnson with great reverence. RB Khalil Herbert is still #1 on the depth chart for now, but it looks like Johnson has a good chance to start at some point, perhaps sooner rather than later.

For the second year in a row, Poles selected a receiver I didn’t mention in my draft preview. This time though, it looks like he might’ve gotten himself a steal, snagging Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott in the fourth round. Scott (5-10 177) is a former tailback who has elite speed (4.39 40 at his Pro Day) and excellent run-after-catch ability. 10 of his 14 career TDs at Cincy were 30 yards or longer. Talk about taking the top off a defense! Though he’s still learning the position, he’s already a solid route runner and can play inside or outside. Some have said that Scott’s selection puts WR Chase Claypool on notice, but I think it puts WR Darnell Mooney on notice as well, considering how similar he is to Scott in terms of size and skill set.

Remember that Claypool and Mooney are both going into the final year of their respective contracts, and while most people figure that Claypool will be gone after the season and Mooney will get extended at some point, I would not be shocked if Claypool is the one who gets extended and Scott replaces Mooney. Sounds far-fetched, you say? Last week, QB Justin Fields, unprompted, said that Claypool "has improved tremendously from the end of last year to now" and praised his improvements in work ethic and attitude. I was as disappointed as anyone about Claypool’s lack of production after the Bears traded for him last season, but he’s still a talented player with size and speed that you can’t teach. Many have already written him off, but I think you’re going to see a much-improved player this season.

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As the first eight picks of the draft went off the board, the alarm bells got louder and louder in my head. Oh no, Jalen Carter might fall to the Bears. When the Falcons selected Bijan at #8, I pretty much resigned myself to the seemingly inevitableselection of the troubled Georgia defender. But then I heard that the Eagles had traded up to the Bears’ pick at #9, and I let out a huge sigh of relief. The Eagles got their guy, and one pick later, Poles thankfully selected Tennessee T Darnell Wright. Yes, I called this pick in my draft preview last month, so I’ll give myself a light pat on the back. At 6-5 333, Wright is a mountain of a man and slots right in at right tackle, hopefully for a long time. He’s a better pass blocker than run blocker right now, which is better than the alternative in my book. After all, keeping Fields upright will be job #1 for Wright.

With their first second-rounder at #53 overall, the Bears selected Florida DT Gervon Dexter Sr. Many fans (including yours truly) were somewhat puzzled by this pick, given Dexter’s lack of production in college. But if we’ve learned one thing that Poles likes, it’s great athletes, and Dexter has great athleticism for his size at 6-6 313. He said that he had more of a two-gap role at Florida that asked him to read the guard instead of just exploding upfield and trying to rush the passer. A slow get-off seems to be the main concern that scouts had about him, and the Bears were already working on improving that at rookie minicamp.

Three picks later, Poles traded up and selected Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson. Many fans were disappointed that the Bears took Stevenson instead of John Michael Schmitz, who went to the Giants with the very next pick. I was a bit disappointed as well, but I do think that Stevenson was a solid pick at a position of need. At 6-0 198, he’s a big, physical corner who projects to start on the outside, allowing CB Kyler Gordon to stay in the slot and banishing CB Kindle Vildor to the bench. In the third round, the Bears drafted South Carolina DT Zacch Pickens. At 6-4 291, Pickens is another great athlete and has a quick first step that might allow him to be a better solution than Dexter at the three-technique tackle spot.

With their two fifth-rounders, the Bears selected Oregon LB Noah Sewell and Minnesota CB Terell Smith. Sewell (yes, he’s Penei’s brother) could compete with LB Jack Sanborn on the strong side, while Smith was a good value pick by all accounts and adds more depth to the secondary. With their two seventh-rounders, Chicago drafted Kennesaw State DT Travis Bell and Stanford S Kendall Williamson. Bell is Kennesaw State’s first-ever NFL Draft pick, while Williamson defends the run well but struggles in coverage.

What’s missing from this picture? One word: edge. Despite the huge need at that position, Poles didn’t draft a single edge rusher. I’m sure he wanted to, but the draft board unfortunately didn’t fall his way, especially in the late first/early second round. That’s when the big run on edge rushers came, and Poles’ attempts to trade up into that range were unsuccessful. Not having the 32^nd overall pick due to the Claypool trade really hurt the Bears here, but there are still loads of edge rushers available as free agents. Justin Houston could be an option, though he may prefer to go to a contender. Former Bear Leonard Floyd is another possibility, though I’m not sure if he’d want to come back to the team that gave up on him. Yannick Ngakoue is a quality pass rusher but not a quality run defender. Dawuane Smoot has been quietly productive for the past few seasons, but he’s coming off a torn Achilles from December, putting his availability for training camp/opening day into question.

End.