Ryan Pace is going to turn the Chicago Bears into a winner in 2018
I’ve been seeing a lot of Ryan Pace slander lately, so I have decided to really delve into his time here with the Chicago Bears. He’s not perfect, but I believe there have been a lot more positives than negatives.
First, let me start off with the state of the team when he took over in 2015. To put it nicely, the cupboard was bare. Why was the cupboard bare? The drafting from previous general managers like Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery left it that way.
Chris Williams, Matt Forte, Earl Bennett, Marcus Harrison, Craig Steltz, Zach Bowman, Kellen Davis, Ervin Baldwin, Chester Adams, Joey LaRocque, Kirk Barton and Marcus Monk made up the 2008 draft class.
Jarron Gilbert, Juaquin Iglesias, Henry Melton, D.J. Moore, Johnny Knox, Marcus Freeman, Al Afalava, Lance Louis and Derek Kinder made up the 2009 draft class.
Major Wright , Corey Wootton, Joshua Moore, Dan LeFevour and J’Marcus Webb made up the 2010 draft class.
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Gabe Carimi, Stephen Paea, Chris Conte, Nathan Enderle and J.T. Thomas made up the 2011 draft class.
Shea McClellin, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Hardin, Evan Rodriguez, Isaiah Frey and Greg McCoy made up the 2012 draft class.
Kyle Long, Jon Bostic, Khaseem Greene, Jordan Mills, Cornelius Washington and Marquess Wilson made up the 2013 draft class.
Kyle Fuller, Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton, Ka’Deem Carey, Brock Vereen, David Fales, Pat O’Donnell and Charles Leno Jr. made up the 2014 draft class.
So, today, the only players mentioned in these draft classes that are on current NFL rosters are: Matt Forte, Shea McClellin, Alshon Jeffery, Kyle Long, Jon Bostic, Jordan Mills, Cornelius Washington, Kyle Fuller, David Fales, Charles Leno Jr. and Pat O’Donnell. That’s 11 players out the 51 that were drafted since 2008. Oh, and don’t forget that Greg Olsen was drafted in 2007, but was inexcusably traded away because Mike Martz told Angelo that he preferred blocking tight ends.
How is a team supposed to build a good foundation with sustainable success without building through the draft? Here’s the short answer: it’s impossible.
Pace on free agency: "It’s part of our plan, but it’s not the entire thing. The entire thing is building this the right way."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) March 10, 2017
So, this brings me to the draft classes that Pace has had.