Ryan Poles shares his true feelings about a first-round draft prospect that many view as a red flag for a very specific reason
Age concerns aren’t something the Chicago Bears are overly worried about going into the 2026 NFL Draft.
This is a big week at the NFL Scouting Combine for the Chicago Bears to get some eyes on various top prospects and hold some in-person meetings to learn more about some of the players they could consider drafting in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Speaking at the podium, and with various media outlets throughout the week, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has pulled back the curtain a bit on how he feels about the incoming class. The main points being that the Bears intend to draft the best player available, regardless of need, in the first-round and the idea that the EDGE position is really really deep in this class.
While that might lean people to believe that the Bears wait out adding to the EDGE position, the Bears still met with a few first-round EDGE prospects, including one that people view has a glaring red flag when it comes to being a potential first-round target.
Ryan Poles isn’t buying into the age concerns with Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor
Miami pass rusher Akheem Mesidor has perhaps the widest range of any first-round candidate in this class, with our A to Z Sports mock draft database having him as high as 31 and as low as 95, but some even think he can go higher than that and into the late teens or early 20’s. The reason his range is so dispersed is primarily due to his age.
Teams are hesitant about drafting older prospects in the first-round because they believe those players already hit their ceiling and there’s concerns about how old they’ll be by the time their second contract comes around. It’s a legitimate concern for someone like Mesidor, who will already be 25-years-old before the draft even starts.
Mesidor played six seasons of college football between his time at West Virginia and Miami but had a breakout year until this past season when he recorded 12.5 sacks. There are teams that will overlook his traits and prioritize a younger prospect, but the Bears are one of the teams that view Mesidor differently after hearing what Poles had to say during his interview with Todd McShay.
“I think they’re probably closer to their ceiling,” Poles said of older prospects. “The factor is, who’s developing them and what system are they in? But, I think of a guy like Mesidor, a little bit on the older end… and you see this really cool player and these guys have more refined plans going into the game. So, again, I think they’re closer to the ceiling, so the projection isn’t as great, but you kind of know what you’re going to get a little bit more.”
After hearing that, it’s no surprise to see Mesidor being one of prospects the Bears held a formal interview with already to better get to know him as a player. And the development/ceiling debate is certainly something Mesidor spoke about on Wednesday.
“You can call me a seasoned rookie,” Mesidor joked at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “Whatever you want to call it, I think I’m coming more mature with a different approach, a different mentality, than a lot of younger guys. I think my age can be a plus, depending on how you look at it.”
After hearing Poles, unprompted, bring up Mesidor and then learn that he got a formal interview with the team, perhaps we shouldn’t right off EDGE as a first-round option if the Bears view a guy like him as the best available player with the 25th overall pick.
Chicago Bears News
Chicago Bears 2026 Combine Meeting Tracker: Which prospects met with the team, and who could be on their radar?
See which 2026 draft prospects reportedly met with the Chicago Bears at the NFL Scouting Combine.
