“It’s an absolute disaster”: NFL fans react to Ryan Poles ridiculing Drake Maye’s draft evaluation tape in Bears insider's viral article

Coming out of North Carolina, quarterback Drake Maye was one of the most-touted players for the 2024 NFL draft. However, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles didn't feel that way.

According to a viral article by Bears insider Tyler Dunne, the Bears GM mocked Drake Maye's game film ahead of the draft. Poles reportedly reminded every misplaced pass or poor play from Drake Maye during his time with UNC.

A scout in the room described the mockery Poles made during the tape review:

"They made fun of him. They laughed. The GM laughed Drake Maye off the screen, and cut the tape off."

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The Bears selected Caleb Williams with the first pick in last year's draft, overlooking Maye, who was selected by the New England Patriots with the third pick.

NFL fans reacted to the claims in the viral article.

"Ryan Poles is so bad at his job, it’s an absolute disaster that he was extended. The Bears reportedly had a laugh-session watching Drake Maye’s college tape and anyone that spoke up in favor of Maye was outcasted."

"Daniels has made it clear he should have been the 1st pick. Poles might be correct on maye tho. He has a pretty mediocre rookie season and was reportedly not as good as jj McCarthy in the joint practices this training camp with the Vikings."

"Whispers: Poles might still be right about Drake Maye…"

"I also had a laugh session watching Drake Maye consistently lose to Georgia Tech every time."

"Then Drake outplayed Caleb when they played against each other."

Drake Maye got the better of Caleb Williams in Patriots-Bears clash

While neither Caleb Williams nor Drake Maye set the NFL on fire in their rookie years, the Patriots quarterback performed slightly better than last year's first draft pick.

Drake Maye and Caleb Williams squared off when the Bears and Patriots clashed in Week 10. Maye had the edge in that game, passing for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception and for 24 rushing yards.

Williams managed 120 passing yards with no touchdowns and took nine sacks as the Patriots dominated the Bears for a 19-3 win. Maye also earned his first All-Pro selection after he replaced Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in January.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Chicago Bears Nation! Check out the latest Chicago Bears Schedule and dive into the Bears Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash