At the end of 2018, it must’ve been nice to be Ryan Pace. His team was 12-4, won the NFC North and hosted a home playoff game. Just a few months later, people have suddenly begun to question his legitimacy as GM of the Chicago Bears. How did it come to that so fast? Two primary factors. The team going 4-5 in the first nine games and several of his former high draft choices underperforming to various degrees.
It’s become clear that Pace, for all his expertise and work ethic, developed a fatal flaw when it came to the draft. One that crept up far too often with some of the most important picks the Bears have had in recent memory.
Ryan Pace has quietly adjusted his draft strategy
Pace was the youngest GM in the NFL when he took over back in 2015. What nobody was willing to entertain was the idea that such youth might also bring inexperience. Yes, he’d served as a personnel director in New Orleans, a job at which he excelled. However, his primary duties had nothing to do with the draft. This meant he came in with a scouting background focused more on NFL veterans than college prospects. It’s not crazy to think that his priorities were not in the right place.
This became evident almost right away. While he certainly had a good eye for athletic talent. What he didn’t have was enough common sense. Too often he would prioritize physical upside vs. proven experience and that has come back to bite both him and the Bears this season. Undoubtedly this is depressing for a lot of people, but it’s not necessarily a damning indictment.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
That’s because evidence has piled up that Pace has begun to change his approach, and it’s yielding favorable results thus far.
2015-2017
- Kevin White – One year of Division I play
- Leonard Floyd – 17 sacks in three years
- Mitch Trubisky – One year as a starter
- Adam Shaheen – Changed to football in 2014 after basketball career
In terms of proven experience, the one who stood out the most among Pace’s picks? That was Cody Whitehair. He’d been a starter since his freshman season at Kansas State, logging time at both guard and offensive tackle. He has since become the Bears’ best interior offensive lineman. The same can be said for Eddie Goldman. He started two years in the middle for Florida State, helping them win a national championship in 2013. So he was both experienced and battle-tested against the best in college football.
2018-2019
- Roquan Smith – Two-year starter with over 220 tackles
- James Daniels – Three-year starter at Iowa
- Anthony Miller – 3,500 receiving yards and 37 TDs in three seasons
- David Montgomery – Two-year starter with 2,800 yards from scrimmage
Nobody will say that any of these players are stars at the moment, but all have already become quality contributors. Smith is second on the team in tackles and is now likely to finish first with Danny Trevathan injured. James Daniels was great as a rookie and should be a quality interior blocker long-term. Anthony Miller led the team in TD catches as a rookie and should be more effective with better QB play. Montgomery has 599 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in nine games. Solid across the board.
Sure, these guys might not be classified as “home runs” but they’re all starters and solid football players. This isn’t a bad thing. Hit enough doubles and the team is still going to score. That is the philosophy a good GM needs and it finally looks like Pace has figured it out. This should be a welcome sign to fans as they look towards an uncertain draft in 2020.
