Ryan Poles opens up on Velus Jones' age
During the entire draft, one of the most controversial selections was when GM Ryan Poles selected WR Velus Jones in the third round. Jones is actually already 25 years old. I know that for a normal person, 25 is very young. However, most rookies are selected at 21 or 22.
Here is what Velus had to say on declaring for the NFL draft at age 25.
«Having that extra year to develop on everything � from being bigger, stronger, faster, football IQ, increasing on that, especially breaking down defenses � God gave me another chance to do what I love,» said Jones, who spent three seasons each at Southern Cal prior to transferring to Tennessee.
«I'm a big firm believer that everything happens for a reason. God's timing is perfect.»
«Age is nothing but a number,» Jones said. «Injuries affect you no matter how old you are, and that's something I was fortunate (with). The biggest injury I ever had was a high-ankle sprain. Never tore anything, broke anything, so I have the body of a 21-year-old.»
«I'm a big firm believer that everything happens for a reason. God's timing is perfect.»
«Age is nothing but a number,» Jones said. «Injuries affect you no matter how old you are, and that's something I was fortunate (with). The biggest injury I ever had was a high-ankle sprain. Never tore anything, broke anything, so I have the body of a 21-year-old.»
Here is what Ryan Poles said:
«(He's) a good football player. I wish he was 19 years old, but you can't have everything,» Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. «But that's just kind of part of who he is, and we'll just roll with it. He's been durable, so I feel good about him.»
"I think for where we are as a team, it actually probably benefits us just to have more mature, game-ready, pro-ready players that are a little bit more experienced and mature. They've gone through some things. They're a little bit more dependable, reliable, both on and off the field. So, I think that will benefit us for where we are. In terms of balancing, I think the draft alone will get back to where it was and the age curve will come back to what was normal."
"I think for where we are as a team, it actually probably benefits us just to have more mature, game-ready, pro-ready players that are a little bit more experienced and mature. They've gone through some things. They're a little bit more dependable, reliable, both on and off the field. So, I think that will benefit us for where we are. In terms of balancing, I think the draft alone will get back to where it was and the age curve will come back to what was normal."
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