Ryan Pace has his supporters and his detractors. Such is often the case with a GM who was forced to start from scratch. When he took over the Chicago Bears in 2015, he inherited the oldest roster in the NFL. One that was supremely limited on building blocks of any sort. He knew his job from the outset. He’d have to tear everything down and build it from the ground up. That would take time and likely require a lot of moves, many of which probably wouldn’t work out.
Time has proven that correct. If people were to look at the entire picture of Pace’s drafts to this point, they’d see a man who wasn’t afraid to roll the dice. He took a number of risks on players over the past five offseasons. Many of them have fallen flat, but others have soared. Has his run been as fruitful as possible? No. That said, one can’t deny he managed to resurrect the franchise into a contender with fewer starting resources than any GM in recent memory.
So where has he hit and where has he missed the most so far. Here are 10 names that stand out.
Worst Ryan Pace picks:
#5: Hroniss Grasu (3rd round, 2015)
Missing on 3rd round picks isn’t that big of a thing in the NFL. It happens a lot. Still, for the Bears in 2015, it was a top 75 draft choice. That should at least yield a capable long-term backup. Unfortunately, they couldn’t even get that from Hroniss Grasu. The Oregon product looked like a highly athletic center with good technical skills. Unfortunately, he was undersized and underpowered. Then he had the misfortune of tearing his ACL before the start of his second year during practice at Soldier Field. He was never the same after that and was gone by 2018.
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Could’ve had:
- Tevin Coleman
- David Johnson
- Danielle Hunter
#4: Leonard Floyd (1st round, 2016)
The Bears were certain when they gave up a 4th round pick to go from #11 overall to #9 in the 1st round in 2016 that they were getting their pass rusher of the future. From an athletic standpoint, Leonard Floyd looked the part. He was freakishly athletic, long, and swift off the snap. There was a problem though. He was a bit too skinny and also only served as an edge rusher part-time at Georgia. So he was relatively unproven and potentially underpowered. Through 43 games, Floyd has 17.5 sacks. Though he is a good all-around player, his pass rush shortcomings don’t make him top 10 good.
Could’ve had:
- Laremy Tunsil
- Taylor Decker
- Sheldon Rankins
#3: Adam Shaheen (2nd round, 2017)
The fact the Bears traded down before drafting Adam Shaheen in 2017 puts this lower on the list. Had they taken the Ashland tight end 36th overall where they’d originally been slotted, this could be in the conversation of #1. As things stand, it’s bad enough. The kid was a project from the beginning. He’d feasted on lesser competition in college and was just a couple of years removed from playing basketball. So his football credentials were limited. In three seasons thus far, he has 24 catches for 225 yards and four touchdowns. A major disappointment for a guy who came in with the nickname “Baby Gronk.”
Could’ve had:
- Budda Baker
- Dalvin Cook
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
#2: Mitch Trubisky (1st round, 2017)
This choice is going to cause a lot of arguing. Mitch Trubisky played pretty well in 2018 and doesn’t deserve to be this high, right? Well if he were simply taken 3rd overall in 2017, that might be the case. However, Pace changed that when he gave up three additional draft picks to slide up to #2 in order to grab the young quarterback. It was a colossal gamble in every way. Especially with Trubisky having completed just one year as a starter at North Carolina. He was inexperienced and not totally proven yet. However, what hurts the most is who the Bears passed up to get him.
Could’ve had:
- Patrick Mahomes
- Deshaun Watson
- Jamal Adams
#1: Kevin White (1st round, 2015)
Trubisky may have come at a higher price, but at least gave the Bears something in return. Something nobody can say about Kevin White. Expectations were through the rook for the 7th overall pick in 2015. Here was a wide receiver with 6’3 size and 4.35 speed. He had a crazy physique and put up huge numbers in his final year at West Virginia. Then he goes on IR before his rookie year can even begin. Then again in 2016, and again in 2017. The guy could not stay healthy. It was always something different. The sum total for that pick was 25 catches for 285 yards in four seasons. A colossal misfire.
Could’ve had:
- Vic Beasley
- Todd Gurley
- Melvin Gordon
Best:
#5: Roquan Smith
It may be a bit early but the evidence is already significant that Roquan Smith is going to be a good football player in the NFL. In just 20 career games since last season, he has 154 tackles, five sacks, five QB hits, five passes defended, and an interception. His mixture of speed, intelligence, and instinct are almost impossible to replicate and a huge part of what makes the Bears defense so hard to go against. His start to 2019 was a bit slower than expected but he still continues to show that talent. This kid should be a lynchpin on defense for years to come.
#4: Tarik Cohen
Further proof that size isn’t everything in the NFL. Cohen was a 4th round pick out of North Carolina A&T. All anybody knew about him was he stood just 5’6 but was ridiculously quick and magic with the ball in his hands. This helped him become arguably the best punt returner in the league today, making All-Pro in 2018. He’s also among the most versatile offensive weapons as both a running back and part-time receiver. Defenses have a hard time containing him. In 37 games, he’s responsible for 3,476 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns.
#3: Cody Whitehair
Scoring a Pro Bowl center in the draft is never a bad thing. Scoring him after trading down twice in the same round? That’s what adds the hot fudge and cherry on the sundae. Cody Whitehair was never supposed to be a center. He’d be slotted for left guard as a rookie in 2016, but the injury to Grasu forced the Bears to shift him to center. There he stayed for three seasons, becoming one of their most dependable blockers. Now he has a new contract and is back at left guard, proving to be an anchor all over again.
#2: Eddie Goldman
People will never know how good Eddie Goldman is by looking at the stats. That is not where nose tackles earn their money. The 2nd round pick out of Florida State is by far the best to come out of Pace’s first draft class in 2015. One of the best in the league at his position, Goldman is a key factor in the Bears having a top run defense each of the past two years. Moving him off the ball with single blocks is nearly impossible and he frees up others to have big games with tackles for loss and sacks. A dominant and ultimately unselfish player.
#1: Eddie Jackson
The Bears hadn’t had an All-Pro safety in decades by 2017. Nobody expected that to change anytime soon when Pace traded up in the 4th round to secure Eddie Jackson out of Alabama. Most thought he was an interesting safety prospect who would probably start his career as a punt returner. Don’t forget he was returning from a broken leg at the time. Nobody could’ve predicted the guy would start all but two games to begin his career, snagging eight interceptions and scoring five defensive touchdowns. He is unquestionably the best pick in terms of value and productivity Ryan Pace has ever made.
