LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Ryan Poles made his 2025 NFL Draft pick at No. 39 overall, adding Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Then he surveyed the board and the teams drafting below him. The Chicago Bears general manager believed he could move down from No. 41 and have three second-round picks instead of two.

“We had a number of players that we were interested in on our board,” Poles said in a Friday night press conference. “Kind of looked at the needs that were underneath at the teams that were below us, and thought there was a good chance we could add some bigs in that group. Ended up falling exactly that way.”

The Buffalo Bills made the trade, giving the Bears the Nos. 56, 62 and 109 selections in exchange for Nos. 41, 72 and 240.

In other words, they received two second-rounders and one fourth-rounder for the move down and their third-round pick.

The move produced the assets Chicago was seeking. Boston College offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart became those second-round picks, increasing the value of the No. 41 pick that went to Buffalo.

It was a savvy move that helped the Bears address needs up front with higher-level players — something they clearly wanted from this draft.

Poles has made an in-draft trade in each of the four he has conducted as Bears GM, so it’s no shock he was able to move around the board and pick linemen he coveted.

It was a statement day for the Bears, who stood pat in the first round and took tight end Colston Loveland. Their use of their valuable Day 2 selections always was something to watch, though, as they looked at the four picks in the first 72 of the draft as a cluster where they could acquire true impact players.

The Bears’ draft list looks now like this:

• TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
• WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
• OT Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College
• DL Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
• No. 109 overall (they previously didn’t have a fourth-round pick)

Poles talked a ton about “letting the board talk to us” while also creating real competition even at spots that previously seemed secure. Coach Ben Johnson has spoken a few times about players needing to “get ready to be uncomfortable,” and telling them this offseason program and training camp will be hard.

They clearly want tone setters and guys who will push for playing time. That’s what the Bears sought Friday.

“All of these guys are going to raise the level of competition in our building,” Poles said, “which is a beautiful thing.”