3 Best and worst moves Ryan Poles has made as Chicago Bears general manager
By Ryan Olson
Worst Move by Ryan Poles: Passing on George Pickens
George Pickens was my favorite player in last year’s draft. We had all assumed this would be a “sprint to the podium” type pick for the Bears if he fell into Poles’ lap in the second round. Pickens has the size and all the talent to be a true number-one receiver in the league. The question with Pickens was never his talent.
It is safe to assume the Chicago Bears passed on the Georgia receiver because of some ‘character concerns’. Pickens has always been an instigator in college, got into a car crash a week before the draft, and he’s a very emotional and outspoken player. I get the concerns and think they are fair.
That being said, the positives far outweigh the negatives for Pickens. It is very hard to find wide receiver talent in the NFL, let alone receivers as tall and as fluid as Pickens. The risks were there, but if you aren’t willing to take a risk on Pickens, you aren’t serious about winning, simple as that. Even if Pickens never plays a snap again in the NFL, I will still say that passing on that type of talent is the wrong move. As we all know, if you can connect the dots, passing on George Pickens has had quite the domino effect on the Bears.