The draft is over, time for a quick reaction post for the Bears.
First some context. As I said in the OP, this is a stacked team. Teams like this often have the luxury of going strictly for BPA and often trade up to get guys they think can slot in immediately to get them over the top. I’d say the Bears fit that description, not sure how I feel about it as a tactic. If I was more sold on Trubisky I’d be more game on going all in, but I get it.
One stat that popped up on ESPN today, no GM has drafted more Pro Bowlers than Pace since he took the job. So safe to say the guy is beyond reproach when it comes to evaluating talent. If I had a criticism it would be that he’s hyper-aggressive, constantly trading up to target guys. They tend to be good, often really good, but it’s pricey. Yet the team is stacked…so what can you say. But, if Trubisky turns into a $25-30M a year QB that approach will need to change.
All that is preamble to the outcomes for this draft. Obviously we were without a 1st and 6th due to the Mack trade (thumbs up) and a 2nd due to trading up to get Anthony Miller (thumbs up). They entered the Draft with 5 picks. Their own picks in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th and a 7th they got from Philly last off season. During the Draft they traded up again, spending that 5th and a 4th next year while adding another 6th this year to balance the scales.
Let’s look at the picks. Keep in mind that I didn’t do a ton of homework on the players so I’ll mostly be trying to get into Pace’s head here, I don’t have much of an opinion on which of these guys are likely to hit or bust.
3.9 (73) David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State
Pace leaps up from 87 to get him; looking to fill the hole left in Jordan Howard’s wake. Did we need to trade up to get him? I’d say yes, we did. 3 RBs come off the board between 70 and 74 and the Pats, who were in this spot originally took another RB at 87. He was the 4th RB off the board and on most lists he was 3rd or 4th rated, so assuming Pace sees him as a bell cow the move makes sense.
Will this guy be a clear upgrade over Jordan Howard? I certainly hope so, otherwise this was really dumb. On paper he looks like he has the potential to be dynamite in our scheme but he also has a lot of miles on his tires for a rookie. The draft profiles are really favorable for the guy with comparisons to Kareem hunt (on the field) and tremendous vision and elusiveness if not game breaking speed. Should be a much better fit than Howard at least.
It feels like Pace made up his mind to get an impact RB in this draft come hell or high water. I dislike that kind of myopic approach on principle and we may end up looking back and wishing we’d have sat tight and grabbed an EDGE or OL at our original spot. Seems like EDGE was pretty well picked over at that point but there were OLs who might have made an impact here. All in all I hate that we had to trade up but I do think this will end up as another “win” in the draft for Pace.
4.24 (126) Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia
Calvin Ridley’s brother if you haven’t heard. Ironic since I was really against drafting Ridley last year when everyone and their brother was mocking him to the Bears, and now we’ve got the little brother.
This feels like a true BPA pick for Pace. WR wasn’t a top need for the Bears and Ridley’s former teammate Javon Wims might end up fighting him for a roster spot. He must have been right at the top of his board. Pace LOVES drafting Georgia players which is the kind of thing that makes me scratch my head, like does his SEC just love it in Athens or something? Whether Ridley is actually the BPA here time will tell.
According to the draft profiles describe him like a poor-man’s version of his brother. Very technically sound, good route runner, good ball skills, good hands but doesn’t really pop when you look at his workouts and physical traits. He was often listed as a possible 2nd or 3rd rounder in spite of pretty light production as a one year starter. NFL.com has him as the 7th ranked WR. If he can be a reliable possession guy opposite AR17 that’s a big win. I wouldn’t call him a “developmental” guy so the expectation will be to make an immediate impact.
6.33 (205) Duke Shelly, CB, Kansas State
Honestly, this one is a head scratcher. We need depth at DB for sure, but this guy wasn’t really on anyone’s board. In the 6th round that’s not really that unusual but I don’t love the physical traits, he’s fast but is just 5.9/170 with short arms and small hands. Generally I want a bigger DB who can stand a guy up at the line, but hopefully Pagano has a plan here. Due to his size he’s probably projected as a Nickel and it would be great if he wins the job from Skrine.
One possible wildcard here is that this kid missed most of his senior year with a injury. Maybe Pace sees a guy that would have been a highly rated guy had he stayed on the field. That’s probably a bit of a stretch though. In the late rounds it’s always a crap shoot, but I have to wonder if this guy would have been available as a UDFA considering the injury. You can never have enough DBs so let’s hope he’s at least a star on special teams.
7.8 (222) Kerrith Whyte, RB, Florida Atlantic
Another burner. Speed kills so this guy could be an interesting addition but I have to hope this is just another pure BPA choice. We certainly didn’t need to take 2 RBs in this draft and I’ll be shocked if both end up making the squad. Perhaps he fits in as the primary KR/PR which would be a justification for the pick, essentially filling in the Benny Cunningham role.
It’s the 7th round and finding a sub-4.4 40 guy here should be considered a win and since this kid has pretty light usage he could be a early contributor, but I’m frankly shocked that we didn’t address either the OL or EDGE before we grabbed a likely core ST guy.
7.24 (238) Stephen Denmark, CB, Valdosta State
We love our small-school guys in Chicago so that at least makes this guy intriguing. Also intriguing are his measurables. He’s 180 degrees from Shelley at 6.3" and 220 while still posting a 4.46 40. He’s an absolute physical freak (ignore that DK Metcalf-esque 3 cone though). But, and it’s a biggie, he has no real skills at CB. He’s a converted WR who only has been playing defense for a season, and that’s a season in DII no less. When you put up bad tape against that competition it’s a pretty serious red flag. They won the DII national title though, so go figure.
I think it’s easy to see what Pace is thinking here though. The kid is a project and will need a lot of seasoning on the PS, but Pagano is supposedly a DB guru and if he can polish this guy up he could be useful depth in a couple seasons. At the very least he should be a dominant special teams guy. Will be interesting to see if they try keeping him at CB or if they try and groom him into a Safety where his size might be a little more typical and where his former WR skills might be more useful. The kid is a lottery ticket, which is about the best way to spend your 7th rounders in my mind.
So to recap, the Bears key needs were RB, EDGE and K. 1 out of 3 is…okay I guess.
Will be interesting to see if any interesting UDFAs come to town in the next couple days.
