Chicago Bears: Is the narrative changing on Ryan Pace?

Chicago Bears fans are still on cloud nine after what general manager Ryan Pace was able to accomplish last week.

They traded up in the first round to get arguably the second-best quarterback in this class in Justin Fields. On day two of the draft, they went ahead and traded up again for offensive tackle Teven Jenkins. A prospect many believe the Bears would have taken at pick #20 if they did not have the opportunity to trade up.

With no third or fourth-round pick, Pace made his later-round picks count or at the very least they made sense. Larry Borom pick made sense as the Bears still need depth at OT. Even if Borom transitions to offensive guard, the Bears can groom him as a potential replacement for Cody Whitehair down the road.

The Khalil Herbet pick makes sense from the standpoint that it is an option for them as far as to kick return. Also, add in that the backup RB spot is up for grabs, and in the future, if Herbert shows progression it will not be much pressure to sign David Montgomery to a second contract.

Dazz Newsome was added and although it was a sixth-round pick spent on him, he is very capable of coming in and taking Anthony Miller’s spot in the slot in year one. The Bears have their two boundary receivers but have uncertainty at slot receiver. This move is either going to motivate Miller to play up to his potential or find his way off the roster.

The Bears selected a cornerback Thomas Graham Jr, a prospect some draft experts believe if he never opted out in 2020, the Bears would not have much of a chance to get him where they got him. Graham could potentially win a job in year one with the Nickelback position up in the air.

The Bears somewhat struggled with depth at Nose tackle when Eddie Goldman opted out last season. It is why they invested a late-round pick on BYU’s Khyris Tonga. Tonga has an upside to potentially developing into a rotational player on the defensive line.

When you combined the potential impact of this year’s class with last year’s class, along with plenty of other drafts picks Pace hit on throughout his tenure. One must wonder if the narrative could be changing about a GM who a couple of months ago was on the hot seat.

Pace and head coach Matt Nagy currently have this franchise trending up. We really could not say that a month ago when the team was trotting Andy Dalton as “QB1” to a fan base starved for a franchise quarterback. Pace clock with the Bears has reset and moving forward he must capitalize this time around.