One of the biggest controversies that emerged from the Chicago Bears’ 2021 draft was selecting Teven Jenkins in the 2nd round. At the time, nobody thought much about it. The big offensive tackle was a powerhouse and had the look of a longtime starter. However, before training camp even began, it was revealed he’d been suffering from back problems during his last season at Oklahoma State. Something GM Ryan Pace knew about and still chose to trade up for him anyway.
Then Jenkins suffers another back issue and is forced to undergo surgery. People couldn’t believe a GM was willing to be so reckless considering the player might be damaged good. Back problems in any player are a concern. It is especially so for offensive linemen. Sure, Jenkins may still become a good player, but the odds don’t seem favorable. Once somebody has back issues, they tend never to go away.
Don’t expect Ryan Poles to do something like that.
The new GM sat down with Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com. They talked about the upcoming scouting combine and its importance to the draft process. Several topics were covered from his favorite story, prospects that stood out in previous years, and how analytics play a huge part in helping to catalog the data. His most notable comment came when asked what the most important aspect of the combine is.
“I really believe it’s what we don’t see, and that’s the medical. You want to minimize the risks that you take on, so knowing how healthy guys are is important. Or know where there’s some issues that they need maintenance that you can provide with your staff back at the facility so that they can stay healthy and perform at a high level.”
Poles prescribes the classic football saying. The best ability is availability. A player is no good to his team if he’s not on the field a lot. It isn’t a surprise he would have a stance like this. He saw the Kansas City Chiefs get burned a number of times by players with health issues, from Jeff Allen to Dee Ford and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. If somebody can’t stay healthy in college, then the odds of that changing in the NFL are negligible. It doesn’t matter how talented they are.
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Some people may not agree with this. They feel if the talent is high enough, the risk would be worth the reward. Poles doesn’t appear to see it that way. This should help clarify which prospects to cross off the Chicago Bears’ board for April if nothing else.
