In Pace We Trust

[dawhizz]

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a “steal.” This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

 

I have mentioned in several threads that I am negative about this one. Or was. I’m still deciding. Because the more I think about it, I think my problem with the draft is perhaps mine and not Pace’s. As I look over those drafts in the 2000s that I have defended, there is very little to be excited about looking back. Bright spots here and there, sure, but largely uninspiring. To contrast that, Pace’s drafts have consisted, almost uniformly (with the exception of Tayo Fabuluje), of useful NFL players, which is, it should be said, a true rarity in the NFL. Those who have not yet contributed much have been injured, which it itself a problem, but not a predictable one, in most instances. And that is much more than I can say for the guys who occupied that chair previously. But those past experiences still poison my current evaluation of this draft in various ways. I think it’s fair to say that, had someone posted this actual Bears draft as a mock draft prior to the draft, it would not have been met with praise by me or by many on this board. When I look at the actual players, I am able to recognize the same problems with them I would have had if it was proposed, but also recognize what past draft failure have done to my current thinking:

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It’s the trade up I still have a problem with. We’ve all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here’s the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace’s drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that’s three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

 

Shaheen – I saw two mock drafts posted here prior to the draft which proposed Shaheen as a Bears draft pick – both had him in the 4th round. So, when I saw him picked, it felt like we reached, and I felt like I did when we drafted Mark Bradley, Roosevelt Williams, and Dan Bazuin in the 2nd round – picks I tried to rationalize at the time only to find that those players were unworthy of my defense. My other issue is that there is virtually no recent precedent for a small school TE taken in the first two rounds of the draft, let alone one who went on to a quality NFL career. The closest I was able to find is Jim Kleinsasser, who was drafted out of North Dakota by the Vikings, and turned into a decent player. So, we can say he will play early, make an impact, be a quality first year contributor, but I’m struggling to find a precedent for that. I guess Antonio Gates, but that seems like a tall order . . .

 

Jackson – The Bears have been trying to solve safety with mid round picks since Mike Brown left in 2009. Chris Conte, Brandin Hardin, Brock Vereen, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush. No solution. This pick just immediately reminded me of Brock Vereen, another safety we traded up to get in the 4th round, under the auspices that he was the last possible starting safety on the board. We all convinced ourselves he would be an immediate starter, just like we’re doing with Jackson. Maybe it will work out this time. Maybe he’ll be more Rashad Johnson, another Alabama FS taken in the middle rounds who has enjoyed a decent career.

 

Cohen – Everyone says, you can still get possible starters in the 4th round. But it’s unlikely that Cohen ever starts a game in his career. Now, I understand the value of role players. But again, this is where past Bears drafts poison me. I remember a plan for getting Evan Rodriguez, Frank Murphy, and Garrett Wolfe touches. But we never saw the touches, let alone the production. I understand the argument that he is the next Darren Sproales. But there’s a next Darren Sproales in almost every draft. There were at least four in this draft (Cohen, Christian McCaffrey, TJ Logan, Donnell Pumphrey). But most “next Darren Sproaleses” (Dri Archer, De’Anthony Thomas, Jacquizz Rodgers, Tyler Ervin to name just a few) never become Darren Sproales and never provide the impact to justify their draft position. The Bears say they have a plan for Cohen. I really hope so.

 

Morgan – I saw a lot of mock drafts. I never saw anyone give the Bears a guard. Maybe he’ll be a good, long time starter. But it’s hard for me to believe, down to your last chance to improve the roster going into the year, that this was the best option.

 

But, as I mention to start, Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt, I think. I have problems with the draft, but it may be a “me” problem. I sincerely hope so. The one thing I know is that making a mock draft for the Bears going forward is essentially pointless. Because Pace is not going by need. At all. He’s looking at his board and taking the highest guy on it, no matter what. A lesser GM probably would have gotten to the 5th round pick and said “this is really small school heavy, I need to take a guy people have heard of.” He didn’t do that, he (presumably) looked at this board, found the guy at the top, and took him. I can’t fault him for that. It’s a completely reasonable approach. But if this team doesn’t start winning, soon, we’ll see a new face in that chair. And I don’t want that to happen, because for all of my issues with the draft, deep down, (I think) I trust Pace.

 

[bowlingtwig]

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a “steal.” This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

 

I have mentioned in several threads that I am negative about this one. Or was. I’m still deciding. Because the more I think about it, I think my problem with the draft is perhaps mine and not Pace’s. As I look over those drafts in the 2000s that I have defended, there is very little to be excited about looking back. Bright spots here and there, sure, but largely uninspiring. To contrast that, Pace’s drafts have consisted, almost uniformly (with the exception of Tayo Fabuluje), of useful NFL players, which is, it should be said, a true rarity in the NFL. Those who have not yet contributed much have been injured, which it itself a problem, but not a predictable one, in most instances. And that is much more than I can say for the guys who occupied that chair previously. But those past experiences still poison my current evaluation of this draft in various ways. I think it’s fair to say that, had someone posted this actual Bears draft as a mock draft prior to the draft, it would not have been met with praise by me or by many on this board. When I look at the actual players, I am able to recognize the same problems with them I would have had if it was proposed, but also recognize what past draft failure have done to my current thinking:

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It’s the trade up I still have a problem with. We’ve all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here’s the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace’s drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that’s three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

 

Shaheen – I saw two mock drafts posted here prior to the draft which proposed Shaheen as a Bears draft pick – both had him in the 4th round. So, when I saw him picked, it felt like we reached, and I felt like I did when we drafted Mark Bradley, Roosevelt Williams, and Dan Bazuin in the 2nd round – picks I tried to rationalize at the time only to find that those players were unworthy of my defense. My other issue is that there is virtually no recent precedent for a small school TE taken in the first two rounds of the draft, let alone one who went on to a quality NFL career. The closest I was able to find is Jim Kleinsasser, who was drafted out of North Dakota by the Vikings, and turned into a decent player. So, we can say he will play early, make an impact, be a quality first year contributor, but I’m struggling to find a precedent for that. I guess Antonio Gates, but that seems like a tall order . . .

 

Jackson – The Bears have been trying to solve safety with mid round picks since Mike Brown left in 2009. Chris Conte, Brandin Hardin, Brock Vereen, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush. No solution. This pick just immediately reminded me of Brock Vereen, another safety we traded up to get in the 4th round, under the auspices that he was the last possible starting safety on the board. We all convinced ourselves he would be an immediate starter, just like we’re doing with Jackson. Maybe it will work out this time. Maybe he’ll be more Rashad Johnson, another Alabama FS taken in the middle rounds who has enjoyed a decent career.

 

Cohen – Everyone says, you can still get possible starters in the 4th round. But it’s unlikely that Cohen ever starts a game in his career. Now, I understand the value of role players. But again, this is where past Bears drafts poison me. I remember a plan for getting Evan Rodriguez, Frank Murphy, and Garrett Wolfe touches. But we never saw the touches, let alone the production. I understand the argument that he is the next Darren Sproales. But there’s a next Darren Sproales in almost every draft. There were at least four in this draft (Cohen, Christian McCaffrey, TJ Logan, Donnell Pumphrey). But most “next Darren Sproaleses” (Dri Archer, De’Anthony Thomas, Jacquizz Rodgers, Tyler Ervin to name just a few) never become Darren Sproales and never provide the impact to justify their draft position. The Bears say they have a plan for Cohen. I really hope so.

 

Morgan – I saw a lot of mock drafts. I never saw anyone give the Bears a guard. Maybe he’ll be a good, long time starter. But it’s hard for me to believe, down to your last chance to improve the roster going into the year, that this was the best option.

 

But, as I mention to start, Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt, I think. I have problems with the draft, but it may be a “me” problem. I sincerely hope so. The one thing I know is that making a mock draft for the Bears going forward is essentially pointless. Because Pace is not going by need. At all. He’s looking at his board and taking the highest guy on it, no matter what. A lesser GM probably would have gotten to the 5th round pick and said “this is really small school heavy, I need to take a guy people have heard of.” He didn’t do that, he (presumably) looked at this board, found the guy at the top, and took him. I can’t fault him for that. It’s a completely reasonable approach. But if this team doesn’t start winning, soon, we’ll see a new face in that chair. And I don’t want that to happen, because for all of my issues with the draft, deep down, (I think) I trust Pace.

 

*Applauds*. Well written. You might be right that the previous 20+ years have destroyed our thinking. I do agree it all comes down to the coaching staff having a plan for these guys and putting them in a good position to succeed. I'm 1 that hates to try and grade a draft just 3 days removed the draft. It's foolish as the draft by nature is very fickle.

 

Now my friend grab a drink and take a breather after that post lol

[Alaskan Grizzly]

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a “steal.” This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

Let me just say, for what it's worth, this is an excellent, well thought out editorial. I totally get the message of 'internal conflict' you describe and how you feel cautiously optimistic (which is a phrase I use to describe myself with the current situation).

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It’s the trade up I still have a problem with. We’ve all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here’s the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace’s drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that’s three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

Although I'm happy that our team picked a QB (finally), it's bittersweet (in a sense) because a) it wasn't the one I wanted (lol) b ) I don't know enough about him to form a favorable opinion and c)like you said, feel that 'we' gave away too much for him. Because of that last reason is why I'm most discouraged. We entered the draft knowing we had many holes to fill. Had a decent number draft picks in order to address many of those needs. Yet gave up as many as 3-4 current and future spots to get Trubisky. Again, a guy who has no concrete track record other than an 8-5 college record. And what's more, of the remaining positions we had (the other four draft picks) our GM chose to fill three of them with small-school prospects. Granted, any or all of them could work out and be star(s) for our team but not only did we limit our chances of more rookies succeeding, we limited it to lesser known 'talent'. I agree that Pace's "strength" in the past is/was finding some quality players with relative unknowns (Howard being the prime example) especially in later rounds, but the fact that we lacked more 'later rounds' to choose from didn't allow him to plant more of those seeds. And at the end of the day I still can't help myself from thinking we (Pace) were bested by San Francisco and Cleveland in this last draft cycle.

 

 

[jason]

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a “steal.” This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

 

I have mentioned in several threads that I am negative about this one. Or was. I’m still deciding. Because the more I think about it, I think my problem with the draft is perhaps mine and not Pace’s. As I look over those drafts in the 2000s that I have defended, there is very little to be excited about looking back. Bright spots here and there, sure, but largely uninspiring. To contrast that, Pace’s drafts have consisted, almost uniformly (with the exception of Tayo Fabuluje), of useful NFL players, which is, it should be said, a true rarity in the NFL. Those who have not yet contributed much have been injured, which it itself a problem, but not a predictable one, in most instances. And that is much more than I can say for the guys who occupied that chair previously. But those past experiences still poison my current evaluation of this draft in various ways. I think it’s fair to say that, had someone posted this actual Bears draft as a mock draft prior to the draft, it would not have been met with praise by me or by many on this board. When I look at the actual players, I am able to recognize the same problems with them I would have had if it was proposed, but also recognize what past draft failure have done to my current thinking:

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It’s the trade up I still have a problem with. We’ve all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here’s the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace’s drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that’s three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

 

Shaheen – I saw two mock drafts posted here prior to the draft which proposed Shaheen as a Bears draft pick – both had him in the 4th round. So, when I saw him picked, it felt like we reached, and I felt like I did when we drafted Mark Bradley, Roosevelt Williams, and Dan Bazuin in the 2nd round – picks I tried to rationalize at the time only to find that those players were unworthy of my defense. My other issue is that there is virtually no recent precedent for a small school TE taken in the first two rounds of the draft, let alone one who went on to a quality NFL career. The closest I was able to find is Jim Kleinsasser, who was drafted out of North Dakota by the Vikings, and turned into a decent player. So, we can say he will play early, make an impact, be a quality first year contributor, but I’m struggling to find a precedent for that. I guess Antonio Gates, but that seems like a tall order . . .

 

Jackson – The Bears have been trying to solve safety with mid round picks since Mike Brown left in 2009. Chris Conte, Brandin Hardin, Brock Vereen, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush. No solution. This pick just immediately reminded me of Brock Vereen, another safety we traded up to get in the 4th round, under the auspices that he was the last possible starting safety on the board. We all convinced ourselves he would be an immediate starter, just like we’re doing with Jackson. Maybe it will work out this time. Maybe he’ll be more Rashad Johnson, another Alabama FS taken in the middle rounds who has enjoyed a decent career.

 

Cohen – Everyone says, you can still get possible starters in the 4th round. But it’s unlikely that Cohen ever starts a game in his career. Now, I understand the value of role players. But again, this is where past Bears drafts poison me. I remember a plan for getting Evan Rodriguez, Frank Murphy, and Garrett Wolfe touches. But we never saw the touches, let alone the production. I understand the argument that he is the next Darren Sproales. But there’s a next Darren Sproales in almost every draft. There were at least four in this draft (Cohen, Christian McCaffrey, TJ Logan, Donnell Pumphrey). But most “next Darren Sproaleses” (Dri Archer, De’Anthony Thomas, Jacquizz Rodgers, Tyler Ervin to name just a few) never become Darren Sproales and never provide the impact to justify their draft position. The Bears say they have a plan for Cohen. I really hope so.

 

Morgan – I saw a lot of mock drafts. I never saw anyone give the Bears a guard. Maybe he’ll be a good, long time starter. But it’s hard for me to believe, down to your last chance to improve the roster going into the year, that this was the best option.

 

But, as I mention to start, Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt, I think. I have problems with the draft, but it may be a “me” problem. I sincerely hope so. The one thing I know is that making a mock draft for the Bears going forward is essentially pointless. Because Pace is not going by need. At all. He’s looking at his board and taking the highest guy on it, no matter what. A lesser GM probably would have gotten to the 5th round pick and said “this is really small school heavy, I need to take a guy people have heard of.” He didn’t do that, he (presumably) looked at this board, found the guy at the top, and took him. I can’t fault him for that. It’s a completely reasonable approach. But if this team doesn’t start winning, soon, we’ll see a new face in that chair. And I don’t want that to happen, because for all of my issues with the draft, deep down, (I think) I trust Pace.

 

I appreciate this post, but coming from the other side of the aisle, it's difficult to swallow for a different reason.

 

Most Bears' fans that I've met and interacted with are pessimistic about Bears' drafts, and optimistic about the seasons. Year after year we question, and year after year the Bears don't do well, so it strengthens our belief that odd decisions from the front office are poor decisions when it comes to the draft. When the front office eschews conventional wisdom and does something odd, it's baffling because year after year the Bears have avoided what most believed they should do in the draft.

 

Pace may be an excellent talent evaluator, and he may be right about the 2017 draft, but for just a few years in a row it would be nice to see the Bears kind of do what most people (including most on this board) expect them to do.

[lemonej]

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a "steal." This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

 

I have mentioned in several threads that I am negative about this one. Or was. I'm still deciding. Because the more I think about it, I think my problem with the draft is perhaps mine and not Pace's. As I look over those drafts in the 2000s that I have defended, there is very little to be excited about looking back. Bright spots here and there, sure, but largely uninspiring. To contrast that, Pace's drafts have consisted, almost uniformly (with the exception of Tayo Fabuluje), of useful NFL players, which is, it should be said, a true rarity in the NFL. Those who have not yet contributed much have been injured, which it itself a problem, but not a predictable one, in most instances. And that is much more than I can say for the guys who occupied that chair previously. But those past experiences still poison my current evaluation of this draft in various ways. I think it's fair to say that, had someone posted this actual Bears draft as a mock draft prior to the draft, it would not have been met with praise by me or by many on this board. When I look at the actual players, I am able to recognize the same problems with them I would have had if it was proposed, but also recognize what past draft failure have done to my current thinking:

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It's the trade up I still have a problem with. We've all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here's the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace's drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that's three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

 

Shaheen – I saw two mock drafts posted here prior to the draft which proposed Shaheen as a Bears draft pick – both had him in the 4th round. So, when I saw him picked, it felt like we reached, and I felt like I did when we drafted Mark Bradley, Roosevelt Williams, and Dan Bazuin in the 2nd round – picks I tried to rationalize at the time only to find that those players were unworthy of my defense. My other issue is that there is virtually no recent precedent for a small school TE taken in the first two rounds of the draft, let alone one who went on to a quality NFL career. The closest I was able to find is Jim Kleinsasser, who was drafted out of North Dakota by the Vikings, and turned into a decent player. So, we can say he will play early, make an impact, be a quality first year contributor, but I'm struggling to find a precedent for that. I guess Antonio Gates, but that seems like a tall order . . .

 

Jackson – The Bears have been trying to solve safety with mid round picks since Mike Brown left in 2009. Chris Conte, Brandin Hardin, Brock Vereen, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush. No solution. This pick just immediately reminded me of Brock Vereen, another safety we traded up to get in the 4th round, under the auspices that he was the last possible starting safety on the board. We all convinced ourselves he would be an immediate starter, just like we're doing with Jackson. Maybe it will work out this time. Maybe he'll be more Rashad Johnson, another Alabama FS taken in the middle rounds who has enjoyed a decent career.

 

Cohen – Everyone says, you can still get possible starters in the 4th round. But it's unlikely that Cohen ever starts a game in his career. Now, I understand the value of role players. But again, this is where past Bears drafts poison me. I remember a plan for getting Evan Rodriguez, Frank Murphy, and Garrett Wolfe touches. But we never saw the touches, let alone the production. I understand the argument that he is the next Darren Sproales. But there's a next Darren Sproales in almost every draft. There were at least four in this draft (Cohen, Christian McCaffrey, TJ Logan, Donnell Pumphrey). But most "next Darren Sproaleses" (Dri Archer, De'Anthony Thomas, Jacquizz Rodgers, Tyler Ervin to name just a few) never become Darren Sproales and never provide the impact to justify their draft position. The Bears say they have a plan for Cohen. I really hope so.

 

Morgan – I saw a lot of mock drafts. I never saw anyone give the Bears a guard. Maybe he'll be a good, long time starter. But it's hard for me to believe, down to your last chance to improve the roster going into the year, that this was the best option.

 

But, as I mention to start, Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt, I think. I have problems with the draft, but it may be a "me" problem. I sincerely hope so. The one thing I know is that making a mock draft for the Bears going forward is essentially pointless. Because Pace is not going by need. At all. He's looking at his board and taking the highest guy on it, no matter what. A lesser GM probably would have gotten to the 5th round pick and said "this is really small school heavy, I need to take a guy people have heard of." He didn't do that, he (presumably) looked at this board, found the guy at the top, and took him. I can't fault him for that. It's a completely reasonable approach. But if this team doesn't start winning, soon, we'll see a new face in that chair. And I don't want that to happen, because for all of my issues with the draft, deep down, (I think) I trust Pace.

 

Great Post! My earlier comments were mine and I had to own them. I've come around to the thinking that Pace doesn't care what anyone thinks and I like that.

[madlithuanian]

Excellent post!

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter. I've wrestled with positive and negative with this franchise on a regular basis. Overall, we got what most hte fan base has wanted for years...a legitimate chance at landing a franchise QB in the draft. We might all disagree who that should have been or whether we should have traded up for it... But, the move is bold and lands hopefully "our guy" for years to come.

 

I really questioned the TE pick...but I readily fell into the trap listening to the talking heads.

 

Pace hitched his wagon to Trubisky. We won't know the end result until a few years down the road, which give him more time to get more players/etc and possibly a new coaching staff. I expect Glennon to play out this upcoming season and Trubisky to start in 2018. So, I think until the end of 2019, we won't know what to really think. Along the way, there can be some good or bad tell tale signs, and I guarantee all of us will be looking for them!

 

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a “steal.” This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

 

I have mentioned in several threads that I am negative about this one. Or was. I’m still deciding. Because the more I think about it, I think my problem with the draft is perhaps mine and not Pace’s. As I look over those drafts in the 2000s that I have defended, there is very little to be excited about looking back. Bright spots here and there, sure, but largely uninspiring. To contrast that, Pace’s drafts have consisted, almost uniformly (with the exception of Tayo Fabuluje), of useful NFL players, which is, it should be said, a true rarity in the NFL. Those who have not yet contributed much have been injured, which it itself a problem, but not a predictable one, in most instances. And that is much more than I can say for the guys who occupied that chair previously. But those past experiences still poison my current evaluation of this draft in various ways. I think it’s fair to say that, had someone posted this actual Bears draft as a mock draft prior to the draft, it would not have been met with praise by me or by many on this board. When I look at the actual players, I am able to recognize the same problems with them I would have had if it was proposed, but also recognize what past draft failure have done to my current thinking:

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It’s the trade up I still have a problem with. We’ve all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here’s the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace’s drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that’s three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

 

Shaheen – I saw two mock drafts posted here prior to the draft which proposed Shaheen as a Bears draft pick – both had him in the 4th round. So, when I saw him picked, it felt like we reached, and I felt like I did when we drafted Mark Bradley, Roosevelt Williams, and Dan Bazuin in the 2nd round – picks I tried to rationalize at the time only to find that those players were unworthy of my defense. My other issue is that there is virtually no recent precedent for a small school TE taken in the first two rounds of the draft, let alone one who went on to a quality NFL career. The closest I was able to find is Jim Kleinsasser, who was drafted out of North Dakota by the Vikings, and turned into a decent player. So, we can say he will play early, make an impact, be a quality first year contributor, but I’m struggling to find a precedent for that. I guess Antonio Gates, but that seems like a tall order . . .

 

Jackson – The Bears have been trying to solve safety with mid round picks since Mike Brown left in 2009. Chris Conte, Brandin Hardin, Brock Vereen, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush. No solution. This pick just immediately reminded me of Brock Vereen, another safety we traded up to get in the 4th round, under the auspices that he was the last possible starting safety on the board. We all convinced ourselves he would be an immediate starter, just like we’re doing with Jackson. Maybe it will work out this time. Maybe he’ll be more Rashad Johnson, another Alabama FS taken in the middle rounds who has enjoyed a decent career.

 

Cohen – Everyone says, you can still get possible starters in the 4th round. But it’s unlikely that Cohen ever starts a game in his career. Now, I understand the value of role players. But again, this is where past Bears drafts poison me. I remember a plan for getting Evan Rodriguez, Frank Murphy, and Garrett Wolfe touches. But we never saw the touches, let alone the production. I understand the argument that he is the next Darren Sproales. But there’s a next Darren Sproales in almost every draft. There were at least four in this draft (Cohen, Christian McCaffrey, TJ Logan, Donnell Pumphrey). But most “next Darren Sproaleses” (Dri Archer, De’Anthony Thomas, Jacquizz Rodgers, Tyler Ervin to name just a few) never become Darren Sproales and never provide the impact to justify their draft position. The Bears say they have a plan for Cohen. I really hope so.

 

Morgan – I saw a lot of mock drafts. I never saw anyone give the Bears a guard. Maybe he’ll be a good, long time starter. But it’s hard for me to believe, down to your last chance to improve the roster going into the year, that this was the best option.

 

But, as I mention to start, Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt, I think. I have problems with the draft, but it may be a “me” problem. I sincerely hope so. The one thing I know is that making a mock draft for the Bears going forward is essentially pointless. Because Pace is not going by need. At all. He’s looking at his board and taking the highest guy on it, no matter what. A lesser GM probably would have gotten to the 5th round pick and said “this is really small school heavy, I need to take a guy people have heard of.” He didn’t do that, he (presumably) looked at this board, found the guy at the top, and took him. I can’t fault him for that. It’s a completely reasonable approach. But if this team doesn’t start winning, soon, we’ll see a new face in that chair. And I don’t want that to happen, because for all of my issues with the draft, deep down, (I think) I trust Pace.

 

[BearFan2000]

For as long as I've been a Bears fan, I've been an NFL draft fan. I've watched the whole thing, every year, since I was in elementary school. And, as a nasty side-effect, I have, unknowingly at the time, defended countless Bears drafts that did not warrant it. I have written flowery defenses of Brandin Hardin, Tron LeFavor, and Juaquin Iglesias, seen the playmaking potential in Dustin Lyman, and argued that Brock Vereen was a “steal.” This is to say, I am not, typically speaking, negative about Bears drafts.

 

I have mentioned in several threads that I am negative about this one. Or was. I’m still deciding. Because the more I think about it, I think my problem with the draft is perhaps mine and not Pace’s. As I look over those drafts in the 2000s that I have defended, there is very little to be excited about looking back. Bright spots here and there, sure, but largely uninspiring. To contrast that, Pace’s drafts have consisted, almost uniformly (with the exception of Tayo Fabuluje), of useful NFL players, which is, it should be said, a true rarity in the NFL. Those who have not yet contributed much have been injured, which it itself a problem, but not a predictable one, in most instances. And that is much more than I can say for the guys who occupied that chair previously. But those past experiences still poison my current evaluation of this draft in various ways. I think it’s fair to say that, had someone posted this actual Bears draft as a mock draft prior to the draft, it would not have been met with praise by me or by many on this board. When I look at the actual players, I am able to recognize the same problems with them I would have had if it was proposed, but also recognize what past draft failure have done to my current thinking:

 

Trubisky – He was my favorite QB in the draft. And it is undeniably exciting to have the Bears draft my favorite QB in the draft. It’s the trade up I still have a problem with. We’ve all seen all the conflicting stories of who would have moved up, who they would have taken, etc. I think I ultimately come down on the opinion that the Bears could have stayed at 3 and still gotten Trubisky, but there is a lot of contradiction in those stories. But here’s the contradiction I am more bothered by: I have seen some Bears fans who both (1) praise Pace’s drafting ability, and (2) argue that two 3rds and a 4th is not giving up much to move up. And to me those two statements are, if not contradictory, at least in conflict. Because if you think Pace is a great drafter, then those mid round picks really do mean a lot, because that’s three more quality shots you give him to add a quality player. I believe that we could have stayed at 3 and gotten Trubisky, and still given Pace three more shots at quality players.

 

Shaheen – I saw two mock drafts posted here prior to the draft which proposed Shaheen as a Bears draft pick – both had him in the 4th round. So, when I saw him picked, it felt like we reached, and I felt like I did when we drafted Mark Bradley, Roosevelt Williams, and Dan Bazuin in the 2nd round – picks I tried to rationalize at the time only to find that those players were unworthy of my defense. My other issue is that there is virtually no recent precedent for a small school TE taken in the first two rounds of the draft, let alone one who went on to a quality NFL career. The closest I was able to find is Jim Kleinsasser, who was drafted out of North Dakota by the Vikings, and turned into a decent player. So, we can say he will play early, make an impact, be a quality first year contributor, but I’m struggling to find a precedent for that. I guess Antonio Gates, but that seems like a tall order . . .

 

Jackson – The Bears have been trying to solve safety with mid round picks since Mike Brown left in 2009. Chris Conte, Brandin Hardin, Brock Vereen, Adrian Amos, Deon Bush. No solution. This pick just immediately reminded me of Brock Vereen, another safety we traded up to get in the 4th round, under the auspices that he was the last possible starting safety on the board. We all convinced ourselves he would be an immediate starter, just like we’re doing with Jackson. Maybe it will work out this time. Maybe he’ll be more Rashad Johnson, another Alabama FS taken in the middle rounds who has enjoyed a decent career.

 

Cohen – Everyone says, you can still get possible starters in the 4th round. But it’s unlikely that Cohen ever starts a game in his career. Now, I understand the value of role players. But again, this is where past Bears drafts poison me. I remember a plan for getting Evan Rodriguez, Frank Murphy, and Garrett Wolfe touches. But we never saw the touches, let alone the production. I understand the argument that he is the next Darren Sproales. But there’s a next Darren Sproales in almost every draft. There were at least four in this draft (Cohen, Christian McCaffrey, TJ Logan, Donnell Pumphrey). But most “next Darren Sproaleses” (Dri Archer, De’Anthony Thomas, Jacquizz Rodgers, Tyler Ervin to name just a few) never become Darren Sproales and never provide the impact to justify their draft position. The Bears say they have a plan for Cohen. I really hope so.

 

Morgan – I saw a lot of mock drafts. I never saw anyone give the Bears a guard. Maybe he’ll be a good, long time starter. But it’s hard for me to believe, down to your last chance to improve the roster going into the year, that this was the best option.

 

But, as I mention to start, Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt, I think. I have problems with the draft, but it may be a “me” problem. I sincerely hope so. The one thing I know is that making a mock draft for the Bears going forward is essentially pointless. Because Pace is not going by need. At all. He’s looking at his board and taking the highest guy on it, no matter what. A lesser GM probably would have gotten to the 5th round pick and said “this is really small school heavy, I need to take a guy people have heard of.” He didn’t do that, he (presumably) looked at this board, found the guy at the top, and took him. I can’t fault him for that. It’s a completely reasonable approach. But if this team doesn’t start winning, soon, we’ll see a new face in that chair. And I don’t want that to happen, because for all of my issues with the draft, deep down, (I think) I trust Pace.

 

 

Excellent post. It is hard to disassociate past failure, disappointments, etc. with any new GM, staff, roster, drafts, etc. Most of us have been fans for as long as we can remember. Longer for some of us shorter for others, but life long none the less. Personally at 40 I still remember the 80's and the rise of the Bears to dominant World Champs followed by the slow decline into mediocrity with a few random successful years sprinkled in the mix to the rise of the mid 2000's and the gut wrenching super bowl loss to the Colts that we should have won followed by another decline as the D that lead the resurgence grew old. To the Trestman years which saw the Bears go from competitive to a complete lifeless joke of a team. Pace, Fox, etc. inherited a team with a toxic culture that was complacent about losing and looking bad doing so. When we look at Bears drafts it's hard to not let past head scratching drafts (both at the time and more so in hindsight) cloud how we look at this years draft which is not what we or anyone expected the Bears to do. It's easy to look at this and associate it with the failure of past drafts by the likes of Emery, Angelo, etc. It does hinge a lot on the success or failure of Trubisky. The rest of the picks all have question marks either due to competition each player faced or, injury concerns in Jackson's case. We all expected a somewhat defense heavy draft. We ended up going QB, TE, S, RB, OL. Only one defensive pick and one with an injury concern. I do believe Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt. Even the best GM's make mistakes or have subpar drafts, it happens. But Bear nation has been fairly jaded by the past and when we have a draft that doesn't fit our idea of good we immediately associate it with that past. We see it and start thinking "here we go again." It may very well end up being a below average to bad draft. But what's done is done, we'll have to see how it plays out. Just because a player came from a small school doesn't mean they aren't talented or lack the tools to be good NFL players. Shawnee and Cohen both dominated where they were, it'd be far more concerning if they were just average or slightly above average. Granted dominating Div 2 competition vs Div 1 is something to consider. The full details of what went down leading to us giving up two 3rds and a 4th to move from #3 to #2, may never fully be known. There is a lot of speculation, hearsay, etc. I don't believe Pace would have made the move if he was sure he could get Trubisky at #3. I tend to think that either he knew or had reason to believe he would be gone by #3. Either due to teams wanting our spot or teams looking to deal with SF who had advertised loudly that #2 was up for bid prior to the draft. Pace and his people clearly had Trubisky as their #1 prospect on their board right or wrong. The move ensured they got their guy, if they'd stayed at #3 and someone else jumped to #2 to grab him you lose out on your top choice of the QB's.

[lemonej]

Very strong and heart warming post by you all!

 

My first memories of this team are from 1966 as a 6 year old with a father and 2 older brothers shaping my fandom. My dad(RIP) was an avid Gayle Sayers fan so who do I hold in the highest regard in Bears' lore? Gayle Sayer! My oldest brother was a real big fan of all sports including college football and since my dad would bring home Street and Smith's Pro Football Guides as well as Who's Who baseball guides. Then my oldest brother taught me about the draft and how it works. Right then and we are talking late 60's I decided to dedicate myself to helping Sayers and Butkus get surrounded by players to help the team be better. When they traded a1st rd. pick for Howard Mudd an All Pro lineman from 49ers was the first time I reacted angrily to a Bears draft pick or lack thereof. Mike Hull, Lloyd Phillips, Lionel Antwoine,Bobby Douglass, Joe Morrison are all draft picks or trades from the desert of my early fandom of my team! Then they draft Payton and he became my football Messiah! That segment of my fandom ended extremely well...

 

Fast forward to now and the same 6 year old is still in me and sometime you all my surrogate Bear family may need to every once in a while talk me off the ledge!

Hi I'm Lemon I'm A Bear Fan!

[madlithuanian]

 

Very strong and heart warming post by you all!

 

My first memories of this team are from 1966 as a 6 year old with a father and 2 older brothers shaping my fandom. My dad(RIP) was an avid Gayle Sayers fan so who do I hold in the highest regard in Bears' lore? Gayle Sayer! My oldest brother was a real big fan of all sports including college football and since my dad would bring home Street and Smith's Pro Football Guides as well as Who's Who baseball guides. Then my oldest brother taught me about the draft and how it works. Right then and we are talking late 60's I decided to dedicate myself to helping Sayers and Butkus get surrounded by players to help the team be better. When they traded a1st rd. pick for Howard Mudd an All Pro lineman from 49ers was the first time I reacted angrily to a Bears draft pick or lack thereof. Mike Hull, Lloyd Phillips, Lionel Antwoine,Bobby Douglass, Joe Morrison are all draft picks or trades from the desert of my early fandom of my team! Then they draft Payton and he became my football Messiah! That segment of my fandom ended extremely well...

 

Fast forward to now and the same 6 year old is still in me and sometime you all my surrogate Bear family may need to every once in a while talk me off the ledge!

Hi I'm Lemon I'm A Bear Fan!

 

[AZ54]

Excellent post. It is hard to disassociate past failure, disappointments, etc. with any new GM, staff, roster, drafts, etc. Most of us have been fans for as long as we can remember. Longer for some of us shorter for others, but life long none the less. Personally at 40 I still remember the 80's and the rise of the Bears to dominant World Champs followed by the slow decline into mediocrity with a few random successful years sprinkled in the mix to the rise of the mid 2000's and the gut wrenching super bowl loss to the Colts that we should have won followed by another decline as the D that lead the resurgence grew old. To the Trestman years which saw the Bears go from competitive to a complete lifeless joke of a team. Pace, Fox, etc. inherited a team with a toxic culture that was complacent about losing and looking bad doing so. When we look at Bears drafts it's hard to not let past head scratching drafts (both at the time and more so in hindsight) cloud how we look at this years draft which is not what we or anyone expected the Bears to do. It's easy to look at this and associate it with the failure of past drafts by the likes of Emery, Angelo, etc. It does hinge a lot on the success or failure of Trubisky. The rest of the picks all have question marks either due to competition each player faced or, injury concerns in Jackson's case. We all expected a somewhat defense heavy draft. We ended up going QB, TE, S, RB, OL. Only one defensive pick and one with an injury concern. I do believe Pace has earned the benefit of the doubt. Even the best GM's make mistakes or have subpar drafts, it happens. But Bear nation has been fairly jaded by the past and when we have a draft that doesn't fit our idea of good we immediately associate it with that past. We see it and start thinking "here we go again." It may very well end up being a below average to bad draft. But what's done is done, we'll have to see how it plays out. Just because a player came from a small school doesn't mean they aren't talented or lack the tools to be good NFL players. Shawnee and Cohen both dominated where they were, it'd be far more concerning if they were just average or slightly above average. Granted dominating Div 2 competition vs Div 1 is something to consider. The full details of what went down leading to us giving up two 3rds and a 4th to move from #3 to #2, may never fully be known. There is a lot of speculation, hearsay, etc. I don't believe Pace would have made the move if he was sure he could get Trubisky at #3. I tend to think that either he knew or had reason to believe he would be gone by #3. Either due to teams wanting our spot or teams looking to deal with SF who had advertised loudly that #2 was up for bid prior to the draft. Pace and his people clearly had Trubisky as their #1 prospect on their board right or wrong. The move ensured they got their guy, if they'd stayed at #3 and someone else jumped to #2 to grab him you lose out on your top choice of the QB's.

 

When SF was on the clock Pace had Cleveland on one phone trying to negotiate a trade for our #3 pick meanwhile on the other line he negotiated a trade with SF #2 pick. He had every reason to think that if we declined the trade with Cleveland that they would immediately call SF to trade up to #2 because the only logical conclusion Cleveland could make is that we wanted Trubisky.