Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles reveals the one thing that can quickly get a prospect removed from his draft board
New Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week, hoping to identify some fresh talent. One of the most important things that happens during the scouting combine is the interview process with draft prospects. This is where teams learn more about a player — what drives them, […]
New Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week, hoping to identify some fresh talent.
One of the most important things that happens during the scouting combine is the interview process with draft prospects.
This is where teams learn more about a player — what drives them, how they might respond under pressure, and generally what makes them tick.
It's during this process that Poles can quickly make a decision on whether or not he wants to keep a prospect on his draft board.
And there's one thing, in particular, that can get a prospect removed from Poles' draft board regardless of their athletic abilities.
Not taking ownership of mistakes.
Failing to take ownership doesn't automatically get a prospect kicked off Poles' draft board, but it gets things trending that way.
"The one thing we look for, and it may not take them off the board, but just not taking ownership of things in the past," said Poles to ChicagoBears.com this week. "Like when we watch a play or talk about a mistake they made in life, we're looking for someone to say, 'I messed up. That's on me. This is what I learned from it and this is how I'm going to move on.' That's what we're looking for and some of them just refuse to do that, and it's hard to see progress in a person when you're just not taking ownership of things."
I'm with Poles on this one. General manangers and coaches are all smart folks. They've seen a LOT of film during their careers. And they usually know who's at fault before they even ask the question. In those moments, they just want a polayer who is going to take ownership, not someone looking to make excuses or blame others.
Deflecting blame is almost always a red flag. And it's a good sign for Bears fans that Poles doesn't want to bring any of those types of players to Chicago.
Featured image via David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
