ORLANDO, Fla. — Ryan Poles is nothing if not imaginative, an NFL executive who enjoys exploring opportunity and considering every possibility for all his big decisions. So with four weeks left until this year’s NFL draft, Poles’ imagination is running wild.

He is the only general manager armed with two top-10 picks and has the privilege of kicking everything off with the No. 1 selection when the clock starts a little after 7 p.m. on April 25.

The presumption across the league is Poles will make the obvious decision and scoop up USC quarterback Caleb Williams without hesitation. The Chicago Bears general manager did little to dispel that notion as he talked with colleagues and reporters during this week’s league meetings at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes.

If there are serious concerns to steer the Bears away from Williams, Poles hasn’t yet found them. Thus he spent a chunk of this week gushing about the growing bond between Williams and the Bears.

“He’s very focused and low key and down to earth,” Poles said. “He has very high expectations of himself. I like that.”

Yep. It’s easy to see where this seems to be headed. And naturally, that finally might shift the spotlight to the Bears’ other first-round pick at No. 9, the one with countless options that all could make sense.

A standout receiver to aid Williams’ development? A rock-solid offensive tackle to protect the rookie? What about, possibly, landing both the top quarterback and the first defensive player to be picked?

With four quarterbacks now expected to be selected before No. 9, the board seems to be shaping up favorably for Poles and the organization.

“We have different tiers on our draft board,” Poles said Monday morning. “And I like the numbers in terms of the talented players who can get down to 9.”

On the move

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