Chicago Bears: way too early for the 2019 NFL

After 11 months of grueling preparation for most teams and editors, the three days of the NFL have officially ended. It was a fast and furious weekend in the world of football, even though the Bears only made their first selection on Friday night.

At the time of Ryan Pace, many people did not have the habit of not seeing the Chicago Bears opt for a first or second round selection. But because of the two trades that gave them Khalil Mack and Anthony Miller, they found themselves playing the game of waiting more than most teams.

"Sorting" this draft for the Bears was a little harder than usual. Yes, they only made five choices and none before the middle of the third round, but many factors must be taken into account here.

• The trades and the production of Mack and Miller.
• The quality of the players they could still find with limited choices.
• Pace absolutely killed the undefined part of the free agent of this exercise.

Keeping that in mind, I will try to fairly assess what they did this weekend, without much focus on what they did last season to put themselves in the position they were.

(# 73) Third round: RB David Montgomery (State of Iowa)

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* The bears exchanged the No. 87, No. 162 and a fourth rounders in 2020 with the Patriots against No. 73 and No. 205

After only two halves in the first two rounds of the repechage, one round started in the third round and it was obvious that Pace felt the need to trade to land his guy. A few choices before Montgomery, the Rams shocked a lot of people and took Darrell Henderson (Memphis), leaving Montgomery and Damien Harris as the only high-level ball carriers left on the board.

Now, I'm not a big fan of the value that Pace gave up 15 choices, but at least he kept his two seconds for 2020.

As for Montgomery, I ranked him as my fourth running back and most major publications had classified him as late in the second or third round. So in terms of the value of the player, it was a good choice. In terms of cut, it is also a very good choice. Most will focus on speed in a straight line, but will ignore the fact that it is complete. He can catch, he can run inside or outside the area and is a good password protector. On top of that, he has some of the deadliest cuts in the project and has led the FBS in broken / missed tackles over the past two years.

He was also considered one of the top leaders of Iowa State and had been called a "culture changer" once head coach Matt Campbell took over the program. It's exactly the kind of choice that Pace likes to make and that should pay off from day one.

Montgomery Grade: B +

(# 126) Fourth round: WR Riley Ridley (Georgia)

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From Day 3, it appeared that there would be a maximum value at the defensive rear position. Yet when the picks began to fly, this depth began to dissipate and Pace found himself in another situation where he took the best player available on his board. This was Ridley, which had been screened as a second-round pick by most publications.

Riley is the brother of Calvin Ridley, first choice of the Atlanta Falcon's first round in 2018. Calvin has had a busy year and some believe Riley has the same skills and the same cap. The biggest difference between the two? Riley's production was not as prolific in Georgia as that of his older brother in Alabama.

At 21, he matches the profile of a player with all the tools to succeed at the NFL without reaching his full potential. This may be considered a good or bad thing, but in the case of the Bears, they saw an opportunity. The main reason for being optimistic? Ridley's journey will make it much easier for him to transition.

Regardless of the mid-term choice, there will always be a sense of risk, but the fact that Pace managed to land Ridley at this stage of the repechage should only be good for the Bears.

Ridley Grade: A

(# 205) Sixth round: CB Duc Shelley (Kansas State)

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Admittedly, it was the first choice that I found myself asking "who?" This comes from a fan of Oklahoma Sooners, who watches the Big 12 all weekends. Then I remembered that I rarely focused on defense because it's the Big 12.

So I had to go back to the band to get a better idea of ​​who owned the Bears and I must say I'm impressed. Shelley is smaller (5'9, 181 lbs) and, as Pace confirmed in his last release, he will play in the slot with a 5-cent backhand. He is an aggressive player who is not afraid to get out of the line of scrimmage and what is more, he is a hard hitter.

It may take some time to develop, but it seems that defense coordinator Chuck Pagano has a "type" of defensive back and that it is crazy. Expect Shelley to become a bigger role over time.

Shelly Grade: B-

(# 222) Seventh round: Kerrith Whyte (Atlantic Florida)

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As Day 3 approached, I thought backtracking was either a position they would take again at the end of the rounds, or use some of their resources to build a first-priority, non-priority free agent. It turns out that the Bears were thinking in the same direction and decided to aim for another enthusiast who could play Whyte a lot.

Most people are probably aware of Devin Singletary, who was the main defender of the FAU. But Whyte was the guy who did a lot of things in a smaller capacity because of his speed. He ran a time below 4.4 at his Pro Day after being snubbed for the combine and has a great deal of time as a part-time runner and pass-thrower.

The team already has Tarik Cohen as a playmaker and Cordarrelle Patterson is another guy who also plays this role. Nevertheless, Whyte could prove to be a good picker and also a great special teammate who can kick and kick. This is one of the most dumped selections in the last rounds of the project.

Whyte Grade: A

(# 238) Seventh round: Stephen Denmark (State of Valdosta)

It would not be a Bears without Pace repechage with at least one little player from the school. This year it is a physical phenomenon in Denmark.

Honestly, I still do not know where the state of Valdosta is, but I know it's a division two school and a school I did not realize today. Despite this, the results of the Danish tests were not retained. He is converted to the receiver and has just moved to the cornerback in the last year.

He is a raw player with a lot of physical ability. Its size and total length made it attractive, but it will be a project that the Bears will have to protect carefully. I do not see a big role in the first year, but it's also a man who may not survive the claims of exemption in training. Its evolution in the coming months will be very interesting to watch.

Denmark Grade: B-

Unencumbered Priority Free Agency

I will not be too embarrassed because 31 names have already been signed or are being tested for the rookie mini camp next weekend.

That being said, I would like to highlight a few names and explain why, in my opinion, Pace has dropped this part of the drafting process.

The way these three players stayed intact is somewhat confusing to me. Obviously, this happens every year, but especially for a player like Hall, I was shocked to see that he was still on the board before day 3, let alone in this part of the process. Hall had many screenings in the third round due to its speed and overall capabilities.

Raymond comes from a small school and the production was not too crazy, but it was still someone to whom he should have been called Sam, even if it was late. Bars is also suitable for this model, but I imagine that Harry Hiestand managed to get him. It may seem hyperbolic, but I'm convinced Bars can replace Kyle Long in a year or two. Health is the key to him, but if he is healthy, he is a third or fourth round inner line player.

UDFA Grade: A +

Global mark

Once again, the Bears had no choice in the first two rounds and must be taken into account. Still, it's hard not to like what Pace was able to do with limited resources. In many ways, he took a few ingredients and turned it into a hell of a number of talented projects that were acceptable and ultimately, with the help of his untrained group.

Guys like Montgomery and Ridley will contribute the first day, while others like Whyte will play roles and that's fine. Pace's antecedents speak for themselves, especially for medium rounds and unwritten parts.

All in all, I left very impressed and more than satisfied with what they ended up getting and for that I have to give it a good rating.

Overall rating: B