With only two games left in the season, it feels like a good time to revisit the Chicago Bears 2021 draft class. There was a lot of optimism around this group back in April when GM Ryan Pace put it together. It’d be nice to say they lived up to the hype but that is almost never the case with any draft class. Instead, it should be about whether they showed enough progress as rookies to at least offer hope they can keep improving.
That is how this report card will be approached. Drafted players must be viewed through a lens of three years. So their grades won’t be given in the context of whether they’re busts or not. It is far too early for that. It will be about whether they had good rookie seasons and showed the necessary flashes to think they have future roles on the roster.
So let’s see how things have shaken out.
Final report card for 2021 Chicago Bears class is mixed
1st round: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
The city of Chicago rejoiced when the Bears managed to jump up nine spots to grab Fields 11th overall. His success at Ohio State and obvious physical talent were captivating. He looked like somebody that could put a franchise on his back. The results since then can’t be called good. Through 12 games, Fields has completed just 58.9% of passes with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has 12 fumbles, which is a troubling issue to have in the NFL.
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That said, there are positives too. The rookie has made considerable strides over the past two months. His passer rating since Halloween is a decent 84.0. Up from the ugly 61.8 he started with. He also has 420 yards rushing. There is work to do but enough flashes have been there to offer hope a better coaching staff and more weapons can help him blossom.
Grade: C+
2nd round: Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
Ryan Pace traded up to get the big tackle in the 2nd round. A sign of true conviction that the Bears felt he had great potential. Then Jenkins goes down with a back injury before training camp begins, forced to get surgery. He ended up missing three months of the regular season. Not exactly an encouraging start.
When he finally does return, he gets onto the field almost immediately after Jason Peters suffers a high ankle sprain. In his first two games, the rookie commits seven penalties. Not the cleanest start to your career. Now Jenkins did show good stretches of play in his first start against Minnesota but then injured his shoulder in Seattle. So already there are questions about whether he can stay on the field.
Grade: D
5th round: Larry Borom, OT, Missouri
Of there was one pick in the draft that could be called a surprise, it was Borom. Having just selected Jenkins the previous night, nobody figured the Chicago Bears would take another tackle. However, Pace looked at his board and was surprised the Missouri product was still there. He couldn’t pass the kid up. As it turns out, that was a pretty good decision.
Borom arrived in camp 30-40 lbs lighter than he was in college. A sign of his commitment to getting in NFL shape. His hard work paid off and he immediately began standing out in practice. This carried over into the preseason and now the regular season. Despite having to bounce between left tackle and right tackle, the rookie has held his own. If he looks this solid now, then better days should be ahead.
Grade: A-
6th round: Khalil Herbert, RB, Virginia Tech
After the Bears signed Damien Williams as a free agent, there didn’t seem to be much of a need to draft another running back. Still, just like with Borom the team felt Herbert was a considerably better talent than a 6th round pick. So they took him. It became evident right away that this assumption was correct. Herbert was a major help to the offense almost immediately.
When David Montgomery went down with a knee injury, the rookie had to step in for him. Across four games, Herbert racked up 388 total yards and a touchdown. Every time he has gotten opportunities, the kid flashes. There is no doubt he’ll be a strong contributor moving forward. Maybe even Montgomery’s heir apparent.
Grade: A
6th round: Dazz Newsome, WR, North Carolina
There isn’t much to say about Newsome in all honesty. He showed initial promise in minicamps but suffered an untimely broken collarbone at the start of training camp. This derailed what little momentum he had. By the time he returned, others had drawn the attention of the coaching staff. The rookie would spend the next 13 weeks on the practice squad. Not until the Seahawks game did he finally get some opportunities. He had a nice catch and run for a 1st down and then a 28-yard punt return to set up a touchdown.
Grade: C-
6th round: Thomas Graham, CB, Oregon
Like Newsome, there wasn’t much of a chance to get noticed for Graham in training camp or the preseason. As a result, he had to wait his turn on the practice squad. Not until the secondary was decimated by a COVID outbreak did the coaches finally have no choice but to give him a shot on Monday night against Minnesota. The kid didn’t waste much time, collecting three pass deflections. He added a fourth in the win over Seattle too. It’s early but it looks like he has starter potential.
Grade: B-
7th round: Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU
As per usual with picks this late, Tonga has been overlooked. It also doesn’t help that he plays a position that doesn’t rack up stats. Yet it can’t be ignored how big of a help he’s been at stabilizing the middle of the defensive line what with Eddie Goldman missing stretches of the season with injuries and COVID. While he hasn’t been suffocating, to get decent help from a 7th rounder like that must be considered a win.
Grade: B
