The NFL Combine is underway in Indianapolis and it gave the media a chance to meet with new Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles to discuss the current roster and how he envisions this offseason to go. Over the course of the 20 minute media session, Poles brought to light some glowing comments about one of his current players: third-year wide receiver Darnell Mooney.
“He’s got a quiet confidence about him. He’s hungry to be special. I’m always looking for guys like that; just raising their own bar in terms of where they want to go. He wants to be special. You can feel that in him.”
Mooney’s emergence in 2021 had him lead the Bears in both receptions and receiving yards, finishing the season with 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four TDs. Poles went on to praise the former 5th round pick out of Tulane, saying he was blown away by his “quiet confidence” and how it’s driving him to raise the bar in 2022 as the Bears’ potential WR1.
Watch the full press conference here:
With only 5 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, the Bears’ hands may be tied in just how much talent they can inject into the roster heading into this season, leaving Mooney as one of the team’s best offensive threats for young QB Justin Fields.
Poles said if the Bears are able to target more guys with a mentality like Mooney’s, it’s going to become contagious for the roster, leading to more success.
“If everyone has that mentality and they keep pushing each other, then all of a sudden the team starts to raise the bar and the standard. Then it’s wins, then it’s the division, and then it’s going for championships.”
The road to finding that talent starts this week as the NFL Combine runs through March 7th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.
