Chicago Bears fans love the draft season. It’s one of their most treasured times of the year. Many of them dabble in the process, evaluating prospects coming out of college and determining which ones they like best. Yet they can’t understand how much actual work team scouts put into the process. Everything from the endless hours of watching tape to traveling across the country. It is a 24/7/365 grind. What makes it all the more interesting is their process when watching players.
So much of it depends on the time and the event. Everything serves a purpose, from watching the games on film to attending the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine. One of the most overlooked parts of the process is college pro days. Fans typically shrug those events off as the last leg of the race. Most of the data is already gathered. There isn’t much more worth seeing. Except that is not the case at all. The Bears offered an example of why that is during their latest episode of 1920 Football Drive.
It starts with correcting a common mistake.
People think teams only go to pro days to update their athletic data on prospects by running them through drills. It goes far beyond that. The Bears tend to prioritize watching how guys interact with teammates. Are they just standing around doing their own thing, or are they encouraging guys, doing that little bit extra to help? Those are the types of players they want in Chicago.
This provides a clearer idea of how detailed the evaluations truly get before a draft. These scouts aren’t looking at physical traits alone. They need to identify and scrutinize every single thing about a player. That includes their work ethic, mental aptitude, and even their situation at home. All of those things can make or break a professional athlete.
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Chicago Bears seem happy with how this approach played out.
Not only did they get a strong array of terrific athletes with their first three picks in Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Velus Jones. They also got three outstanding kids with excellent work habits and team-first mentalities. It is impossible to know if they or the eight other picks will be successful in the NFL. There is no such thing as certainty when it comes to the draft. There is always an element of luck involved.
Still, GM Ryan Poles heaped praise on the Chicago Bears scouts for their work. He was more than satisfied with the data they collected and the assessments of each player. His job was to make the final decisions, picking the right guys. That is why he gets paid the big bucks. All the scouts can do is give him every advantage possible.
Phil Emery couldn’t do it. Nor could Ryan Pace.
Now it’s Poles’ turn. There are plenty of things to like about this draft class. Tons of athletic upside and lots of speed. Plenty of “dogs” too. Guys that love to get after it on the field. Guys that look like they’d make terrific Bears.
