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Another top Chicago Bears draft pick already looking like a bust

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 10:58 PM ET

The annual NFL draft is mostly a crapshoot, especially once teams start selecting players outside the first round. That said, the best general managers in the league are able to consistently find starters or quality depth players on the second and third days of the event. Thus far, this cannot be said of Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles.

The third round has been especially dreadful in the Ryan Poles era. Through four drafts, he has made three selections in the third round: Velus Jones Jr., Zacch Pickens, and Kiran Amegadjie. The Bears gave Jones Jr. the boot in the middle of the 2024 season, and Pickens is now with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It's still to early to group Amegadjie, a 2024 draft pick, into the same 'bust' category as Pickens and Jones Jr., but it's trending that way. Especially now that Amegadjie has joined Jaylon Johnson on IR.

We have placed Kiran Amegadjie and Jaylon Johnson on IR and signed Tanoh Kpassagnon to the active roster.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 20, 2025

Amegadjie popped up on the Chicago Bears injury report this week with what the team lists as an elbow injury; he was limited at practice on Wednesday but did not practice at all on Thursday or Friday. We don't have much details on the injury itself but whatever happened must have occurred in practice early this week, since Amegadjie has not yet played a single snap this season.

The former Yale Bulldog entered the 2024 NFL draft with no shortage of hype. Despite playing against inferior Ivy League competition and having his season shortened by an injury, Amegadjie possessed tantalizing potential with his ridiculous 36.12" arms and impressive athelticism. He had all the makings of Day 2 draft gem.

Unfortunately, that seems to be out the window at this point. The best ability is availability, as the old saying goes, and Amegadjie is simply not available nearly often enough to keep on the roster for much longer, especially not when an undrafted rookie from his same draft class appeared to outperform him in training camp.

Theo Benedet surprised everyone but himself when he landed in the running for the left starting tackle spot last month and earned a roster spot. And if Ben Johnson's recent comments on Braxton Jones mean anything, he could be getting that starting job before too long. That would likely spell the end of Amegadjie's time in Chicago.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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