Ryan Pace has done good work in the 2018 draft for the Chicago Bears. At least that’s what most experts have said over the past week. His seven picks, particularly the first three have garnered immense praise. It’s felt the trio of Roquan Smith, James Daniels, and Anthony Miller have a chance not just to become productive but stars on this team.
Yet it’s fair to ask this question having seen this latest draft go through. Is Pace in the right sport? No, seriously. It sounds weird to say that but a trend has begun to grow with his most recent drafts. One that indicates football might not hold sole possession of his heart. Deep down he might be playing favorites with another.
That may sound overly dramatic but it’s true. Two picks, in particular, this year show a growing tendency by Pace to target players with a specific background. One that has actually served people well in the NFL in years past.
Ryan Pace seems to love talent with basketball backgrounds
It’s not uncommon for other major sports to bleed into football. Few have had greater success in recent years than players with deep basketball backgrounds. No surprise if the NFL’s desire for bigger athletes. Names like Julius Peppers, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Vincent Jackson, and Tony Gonzalez are but a few examples. Pace seems to have embraced this trend more than most.
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One example from this year is fifth round pick Bilal Nichols, who was a basketball junky right up until high school.
“Bilal Nichols focused on basketball for most of his childhood and didn’t take up football until high school.”
He’s not alone. Another pick who started football late was seventh rounder Javon Wims. Like his father, he felt he had a future in basketball until the realization hit he didn’t quite have the natural gifts for it. So he made the switch to football.
“Wims was a middle school football standout but had early basketball dreams. He only played his senior year at Ed White High School in Jacksonville, Fla., and the school ran a run-oriented Wing-T offense.”
This isn’t something that just started in 2018 either. It actually gained steam last year when the Bears scooped tight end Adam Shaheen in the second round, somebody who actually started college basketball before making the switch.
“Shaheen was a freshman basketball player at Division II Pittsburgh at Johnstown, the school that gave him the best scholarship aid out of high school in Galena, Ohio, where he was a multi-sport standout.”
Now, all kidding aside there is a method to this madness by Pace. One common trend with athletes who boast basketball credentials is they have decent size and can run. This is proven true for all three of the names mentioned above. If you are big and can run, it’s possible to have success in the NFL. Provided they accept the work it takes and the light goes on, the Bears could have gone talented gems at bargain prices.
