Draft recap articles

It was a good draft for the Bears. Nice to see the team not to have a lot of holes to fill. At least they didn't screw up as the Cardinals did.

dawindycity.com/2019/04/29/chicago-bears-every-2019-draft-pick/

Chicago Bears Draft: Reasoning behind every 2019 draft pick
by Ryan Heckman 9 minutes ago

The 2019 NFL Draft may have been one of the more exciting weekends in recent Chicago Bears history. We give you the “why” behind the “what” with each pick.
It’s over. Can you believe it? The 2019 NFL Draft came and went in what seems like the blink of an eye, and the Chicago Bears made some noise along the way.




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Going into the draft, the Bears had five picks, starting at no. 87 overall in the late third round. After the draft, the Bears came away with five selections, but two of them were not where the team was originally slotted.

In the third round, general manager Ryan Pace made a move, to no one’s surprise. Like his Day 2 deal last year, it was again with the New England Patriots. This time, Pace moved up 14 spots to the no. 73rd selection overall. Along with swapping third round picks this year, Pace sent his 2019 fifth rounder and a 2020 fourth rounder to New England and obtained the Patriots’ 2019 fifth rounder at no. 205.

Starting with their third round selection, let’s take a look at who the Bears came away with in this year’s draft:

Round 3, Pick 73: David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa Stat

There are several reasons why the Bears drafted David Montgomery.

Maybe the most glaring reason, overall, is how he compares to former Bears running back Jordan Howard.

If you have been on social media lately, you may have seen some odd, incorrect comparisons between the two backs. Some folks, namely Packers “sources,” try to fool Green Bay fans into thinking these two are the same player — they are incredibly far off.

Here’s the biggest difference between the two.

Howard played behind a very good offensive line last year. The Bears have improved up front over the last couple of years, and Howard should have taken advantage in 2018 — he didn’t. In fact, Howard ended last year with the worst yards-per-carry average of his career at just 3.7.

Now, take a look at Montgomery. He came from an Iowa State program which featured a poor offensive line and he was the featured presentation game-in and game-out. Between he and wide receiver Hakeem Butler, that was the Cyclones’ offense. It was the Montgomery-Butler show every week, playing behind a below-average offensive line.

Sure, Montgomery is impossible to tackle. He actually broke a PFF record for most broken tackles in college with a ridiculous 185 broken tackles in his final two seasons at Iowa State. Montgomery has shown he can catch the ball, and he has another gear once he gets past the second level.

But, the biggest reason why the Bears selected him is because they needed someone to replace Howard who not only possessed characteristics of a lead back, but was even better than Howard. Montgomery is a much better fit, and has proven he has all the necessary tools to be a starting running back — even behind a porous offensive line.

RILEY RIDLEY
WR Georgia

What in the world is Ryan Pace thinking drafting another wide receiver? The Bears already have Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, Javon Wims and Cordarrelle Patterson on the roster.

But, here’s the why behind the what.

It’s true, Miller played almost his entire rookie year on one arm. He’s said so himself. Now, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, the Bears are doing everything possible to make sure they have a backup plan. In the event Miller isn’t ready to go come September, or re-aggravates the injury, they have insurance.

Now, Ridley may be more than just “insurance” at this point. He’s going to play, and he’s going to make an impact. Ridley, the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley, has a lot of similarities when you look at the two. (Calvin) Ridley is also an extremely precise route runner, and (Riley) Ridley is right there as well.

Pace knows that his defense is as good as it gets, and he’s taken an opportunity to give Matt Nagy as many weapons, at his disposal, as he possibly can. Ridley was an absolute steal in the fourth round, and makes a lot of sense for the Bears.

DUKE SHELLEY
CB Kansas St.

One of the biggest topics of conversation going into the offseason was what the Bears would do with nickel corner Bryce Callahan. When healthy, Callahan is one of the best slot cornerbacks in all of the NFL. But, at the same time, Pace didn’t want to pay him premium money.

Pace did, however, go out and sign former New York Jets slot corner Buster Skrine to a deal that averaged out to about $5 million per year — that’s not chump change, by any means.

While Skrine is an aggressive, nasty slot corner, the Bears want a backup plan. Right now, Sherrick McManis is technically the backup slot behind Skrine. McManis played relatively well in the absence of Callahan last season, but he’s 31 years old and will be a free agent next spring.

Duke Shelley is a 5-foot-9 corner coming out of Kansas State, and Pace mentioned in his post-draft press conference that he will play in the slot. You knew going into the draft that the Bears were after depth at whichever position presented the best value. To Pace, it was Shelley in the sixth round.

You can never have enough competition on a roster, even at a backup position. That second-string slot corner is one injury away from taking the big state, just as McManis did last year. The Bears want as much competition at that position as possible, and that’s why they grabbed Shelley.

KERRITH WHYTE
RB Florida Atlantic

Who knew that a seventh-round pick could end up being one of my favorite selections in this entire draft, for any team?

But wait — the Bears already have a strong group of running backs.

You’d be correct to say so — and it just became stronger.

Kerrith Whyte is an explosive athlete who ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. He was so good last year, that Florida Atlantic couldn’t keep him off the field.

Pause: I know you’ve heard that before, a thousand times, too. But, it’s the truth.

Whyte was so good that, despite playing behind Devin Singletary, FAU couldn’t keep him on the sidelines. He brought another dimension to the offense and was an explosion waiting to happen at any moment.

So, why Whyte? Well, at that point, the Bears obviously saw him as the best back on the board in terms of overall fit. But, my hunch is that Pace wanted to give Nagy an improvement over Taquan Mizzell. The last couple of years, we’ve seen Mizzell and Benny Cunningham in the game in puzzling situations. Not to worry, those times are now in the past for good.

Whyte will take the role of Mizzell as the fourth back, but will also give depth behind Patterson as a kick returner. He averaged nearly 29 yards per kickoff return in 2018, bringing one back to the house.

As a broad view, Whyte gives the Bears added depth at multiple spots on the roster. He’s also a ridiculous athlete, which has been a common theme with some of the Bears’ picks and UDFA signings. Speaking of freak athlete, that brings us to the last pick of the draft for the Bears.

STEPHEN DENMARK
CB Valdosta St.

So, I gave a bit of a teaser heading into this page when I used the term “freak athlete.” If you learn anything at all about Stephen Denmark, that’s exactly what you should know.

Denmark is a 6-foot-4 corner weighing around 215 pounds with extreme length and a 43.5 inch vertical jump.

I’ll say that again: Denmark’s vertical jump is an astounding 43.5 inches — which would be one of the best the NFL Combine has ever seen, except for the fact that he did not receive an invite. That happens, though, when you come out of a smaller Division II school like Valdosta State.

Denmark also ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at his Pro Day to go with his vertical. As an added bonus, his broad jump was an impressive 130.0 inches as well.

By comparison, Denmark’s 40-yard dash time is about a full tenth of a second faster than A.J. Bouye. His vertical jump is 5.5 inches higher than Patrick Peterson. And, his broad jump is seven inches longer than Stephon Gilmore.

The Bears drafted Denmark strictly because he is absolutely a project worth taking on. His physical traits are off the charts, and he’s only played cornerback for one season. Denmark is a former wideout, and yes, that means his ball skills are better than most.

He’s aggressive, relentless even, and sometimes that gets him in trouble. But, like I said, he was selected because of his upside, especially under a defensive back guru like Chuck Pagano.

5 observations about the Bears' draft, including David Montgomery's impact on Tarik Cohen, Riley Ridley's fit and the expanded kicker competition

Rich Campbell Rich CampbellContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
Here are five observations about the Bears’ draft and what it means going forward.

1. David Montgomery’s development as a receiver is crucial to him being a great pick instead of just a good one.

There’s so much to like about the Iowa State running back. As a ball carrier, his obvious strengths — contact balance, lateral agility, vision and feel for finding daylight when the play isn’t cleanly blocked — will make the Bears running game more potent than it was in coach Matt Nagy’s first season.

But Montgomery’s (projected) abilities in the passing game could really elevate the whole offense because they’ll expand Nagy’s options while game-planning on Monday nights and calling plays on Sundays.

Nagy wants as many ways to exploit mismatches as possible, and that means having a running back who can excel on all three downs. A three-down back — even if he lacks blazing long speed, as Montgomery does — facilitates unpredictability with personnel, formations and play selection. That should give the Bears an advantage.

Realistically, it won’t make sense for the Bears to have Montgomery run 10 pass routes a game. He’s a running back whose biggest strength is toting the rock. But the fact he can run routes is how the Bears could seize the advantage. It’s an element of variety Nagy can blend into the game plans.

More specifically, the Bears believe they’ll be able to send Montgomery into pass routes out of the backfield and from alignments removed from the formation (like a typical wide receiver). Remember, Matt Forte had that type of versatility. I’m not saying Montgomery will be as good at it as Forte was, but that comparison can frame our thinking.

“Every running back has his own strength as far as what route he can run,” Nagy said Saturday, “whether … he’s a bigger target or he’s super fast. Some running backs you can put them (as a wide receiver with an empty backfield) and they are better on shallow crosses or better with read routes, and it’s not a vertical route or a post route where they beat you with speed. They just have a good knack at that.

“It’s not always in an empty set. You (deploy) a guy out of the backfield, now (there are) mismatches, right? Is he against a safety or is it a linebacker? Are they playing base defense versus a guy we think we can get an advantage in the pass game? Great. Are they going to play nickel or dime and dare us to run the ball? Well, when you have guys that can play all three downs, it’s nice for the play-caller, and it’s nice for the offense.”

It’s nice for the quarterback too. If Montgomery proves he can threaten defenses by lining up split from the formation, the Bears could motion him out of the backfield to help quarterback Mitch Trubisky diagnose the defense before the snap.

That’s the Bears’ vision for Montgomery in the passing game. At this stage, though, it’s more of a projection than a proven entity.

Montgomery, like many college running backs in spread offenses, wasn’t asked at Iowa State to run routes from an extensive route tree or from a wide variety of alignments. He doesn’t have as much game experience lining up split from the formation as Memphis’ Darrell Henderson, who also ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash compared with Montgomery’s 4.63. Then again, Henderson isn’t as elusive as Montgomery, and Montgomery’s football character is hard to match.

The Rams traded up to draft Henderson 70th. Three spots later, the Bears traded up for Montgomery. Now the Bears will train him to expand his route tree and excel from different spots in the formation.

Although Montgomery is relatively unproven as a receiver, the Bears coveted him because they project him to be very good at it. His low center of gravity, quick-twitch cutting ability, body control and feel for timing and spacing should make him an effective route runner. He’s also coachable and a dedicated worker in practice. The Bears have little doubt he’ll master what they ask of him.

There’s another element too. Nagy explained Saturday what traits he looks for in a college running back when projecting their effectiveness as a receiver in the NFL.

“No. 1 would be having natural hands; do they have natural hands?” Nagy said. “What you see in the college game right now, the hashes are a lot wider than ours, so a lot of the backs in college aren't running some of the routes we do … because of limited space from the hash to the sideline. So you have to be able to go out and test them and see if they can do it on an individual workout. Or you see pro days or you see it at the combine.”

Montgomery does have natural hands. He caught 71 passes in three seasons at Iowa State. His annual average (23.6) compares quite favorably to that of the 10 other running backs drafted in the first four rounds.

“He does not have breakaway speed, but he’s good in pass protection, and he has shown he can catch the ball out of the backfield,” said Matt Bowen, ESPN analyst and former NFL safety for seven seasons. “Can he fit in your system? Can he produce in the NFL? I have no doubt about that.”

The challenge of expanding Montgomery’s ability as a receiver begins Friday at rookie minicamp. We’ll be watching closely all preseason.

2. Adding Montgomery to the top of the depth chart slots Tarik Cohen and Mike Davis comfortably into ideal roles.

Tack this onto the list of reasons drafting Montgomery made sense. Not only is Montgomery a pro-ready, three-down back who will grind out yards, his presence will allow the Bears to use Cohen more as a wide receiver, which is the staff’s preference.

In 2018, here’s how the Bears’ rush attempts by their top three running backs stacked up:

1. Jordan Howard, 250.

2. Tarik Cohen, 99.

3. Benny Cunningham, 11.

Now, instead of Howard and Cunningham with Cohen, it’ll be Montgomery and Davis. The latter pairing is much more potent.

Hypothetically, let’s say the trio of backs gets 360 rushing attempts again this season. The Bears could comfortably divide 300 between Montgomery and Davis, while reducing Cohen’s carries and exchanging them for pass routes. Cohen would become the true joker back Nagy and the Bears consider him to be.

“It gives you options,” Nagy said. “They’re all weapons. They can play on every down. You feel good about where they’re at, and as coaches we’ve got to figure out exactly what (they’re best at), and then there’s only so many touches, so we have to balance that. And that is the difficult part, but it’s a lot easier to do when you have these types of guys with different strengths.”

Davis had a career-high 112 carries last season for the Seahawks. General manager Ryan Pace wasn’t just gassing up Davis last Tuesday at his annual pre-draft news conference when he insisted Davis can handle a greater workload. The Bears believe that.

That said, slotting Davis as the RB2 and having him rush approximately 120 times would be asking the right amount of him. Evaluators around the league generally like Davis’ upside because of his jump-cut ability and short-area burst, but there are pockets of doubt about whether he could thrive as an RB1.

Now the Bears don’t have to find out. And, just as importantly, the 5-foot-6, 180-pound Cohen doesn’t have to bear the physical toll of 100 carries.

Cohen averaged 6.2 carries per game last season. Nagy will continue to hand the ball off to him, not only because of his home run ability and change-of-direction skills, but also to get him matched up against linebackers and safeties on pass routes.

Remember the Giants game last December? How Cohen victimized safety Landon Collins twice on routes from the backfield? The Bears have to hand the ball off to Cohen as a traditional running back to keep defenses honest.

Drafting Montgomery didn’t just help the rushing attack, it will help them get the best out of Cohen.

3. Receiver Riley Ridley helps a position of need.

On the Bears’ list of draft needs, I would have put wide receiver behind running back, tight end and defensive back. But not much further down.

That’s less a criticism of the Bears’ 2018 receiver group and more an acknowledgement of how bare the cupboard was when Nagy took over. The first-year coach inherited Josh Bellamy and Kevin White. That is, literally, almost nothing. We knew it would take multiple offseason cycles to restock that group, especially to the level Nagy wants it and Trubisky needs it.

Similarly, investing heavily in a position doesn’t necessarily make it a position of strength. Last offseason, the Bears invested in some promising wide receivers, specifically Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller. But I suspect few defensive coordinators lost sleep about defending them. After all, Cohen led the Bears with 71 receptions and was second (to Robinson) with 725 yards.

It’s fair to expect improvement from the receivers this season because of Trubisky’s experience in Nagy’s scheme, the receivers’ experience playing with him and because Cohen can more regularly be part of that group.

Meanwhile, Ridley helps because of his refined route running. That’s a solid fit for a head coach who demands detailed splits and depths to make his offense work.

“There are certain route runners that just know how to set guys up,” Pace said Saturday. “He has a savviness to him to know how to set guys up. For as big as he is, he knows how to drop his weight and quickly get out of break points. So when you’re watching him, you consistently see him separating from man coverage.”

The Bears wanted to add speed to their offense, and neither Ridley nor Montgomery is known for top-end long speed. That’s the trade-off when you don’t pick until the third round.

That said, Ridley should contribute sooner rather than later because he’ll prioritize the route details upon which Nagy insists.

Receivers coach Mike Furrey constantly stayed on Miller during his rookie season, impressing upon the Memphis second-rounder the importance of understanding how the positioning and timing of his route affected the entire play. Riley will comprehend that and help deepen the group.

“You see the names of the players that are now in our offense, and there are a lot of weapons,” Nagy said. “There are a lot of guys that can do a lot of things with the ball. And when you are a defensive coordinator and you need to try to focus or game plan on more than one or two or three people, which I feel like we have, that’s an advantage for us. Between now and the first game of the year, we have to figure out how we want to do it.”


Clearly, that’s the Bears’ approach to this competition. They didn’t draft one, but they agreed to sign San Diego State’s John Baron as an undrafted free agent. He joins the three they already had on the roster.

Also, they’ve invited at least four other undrafted kickers to rookie minicamp Friday on a tryout basis.

“Maybe it’s a little unorthodox to have four kickers out there; we don’t care,” Pace said. “Let’s increase the competition, and let’s let the whole thing battle out.”

Unorthodox is one way to put it. My brain went another way, thinking of that “Seinfeld” scene in which George and Susan’s parents are in a figurative game of chicken with George about his lie that he has a house in the Hamptons.

“You want to get nuts? Come on — let’s get nuts!”

Nagy’s smile was borderline maniacal Saturday when responding to reporters’ questions about how he is structuring the kicking competition.

“I’m going to be upfront and honest with the whole kicking thing — the elephant in the room,” he said. “We already talked to our team about it. It’s good.

“There have been so many examples in the last three-four weeks of, whether it’s an individual accomplishment in sports or a team accomplishment, that something bad happened last year or in previous years, and it turned into a great deal the following year. So this right here (he held up a half-full bottle of water) is half full, not half empty.

“All this kicking stuff and the field goals and everything like that: we’re open. We can use the, ‘Hey, the Cody Parkey miss.’ It’s OK. It doesn’t hurt me. It’s fine. It’s good. So you guys can say it. We’re good with it, so use it. Talk about it. It’s a healthy thing. So we feel good about it, and we’re going get this thing right.”

Meeting the kicking problem and related team psyche issues head-on is a sensible approach. Nagy plans to get creative with the competition. He hinted that media will at least be encouraged to watch and/or report some element(s) at rookie minicamp next weekend.

“It’s not going to be an easy competition,” he said. “It’s about making your kicks under pressure, and it’s as simple as that. Either you make it or you don’t. We’re going to test them out.”

Sounds like fun to me. Let’s get nuts.

5. Not drafting a tight end puts the spotlight on Adam Shaheen.

Because the Bears didn’t have a first- or second-round pick, there was a limit to how many positions they could fortify. They didn’t draft a tight end, safety or a lineman on either side of the ball. But they can work through some of that immediately in college free agency and later in the preseason on the waiver wire after the cutdown to 53 players.

Zeroing in on tight end, we’ve heard several times this offseason from Pace and Nagy about their confidence in Shaheen, the Y-tight end entering his third year. They’ve pointed to Shaheen’s promising training camp last summer before he injured his right foot in the third preseason game. Indeed, Shaheen (6-foot-6) demonstrated progress as a blocker and showed promise as a straight-line runner and a friendly target with a big catching radius.

I didn’t interpret the Bears’ decision not to draft a tight end as an additional vote of confidence in Shaheen. As the Ridley pick showed, they were willing to add offensive weapons however the draft board fell. But because they didn’t draft a tight end, let’s recognize the urgency for Shaheen to play up to his draft pedigree.

Remember, Pace drafted him 45th overall in 2017. That’s a huge investment, especially in a Division II player. For as much credit as the Bears deserve for developing their two fourth-rounders in that draft — Eddie Jackson and Cohen — Shaheen has lagged. He always was going to require seasoning for his blocking technique and route running, and missing 10 games last season was unfortunate. Now he’s a noteworthy wild card in the offense’s outlook this season.

rcampbell@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @rich_Campbell

670thescore.radio.com/gabriel-analyzing-fit-bears-draft-class-montgomery-ridley-shelley

Gabriel: Analyzing Fit Of Bears' Draft Class
The Bears added several players who should contribute soon.

GREG GABRIEL
APRIL 29, 2019 - 3:04 PM
CATEGORIES: Local NFL Sports Bears
(670 The Score) When an NFL team enters a draft without a first- or second-round pick, it can be difficult to find instant contributors, let alone starters.

Such was the case the Bears found themselves in this year. As we analyze how they fared, I believe they added three players who will contribute as rookies and two others who will need development before they're ready for the big stage. Let's break down the selections.

3rd round, No. 73 overall: David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State

I had Montgomery rated as the third-best running back in this class behind Miles Sanders of Penn State and Josh Jacobs of Alabama. Jacobs was drafted by the Raiders the first round at No. 24 overall, while Sanders was chosen by the Eagles in the second round. The only other back I had close to Montgomery’s talent was Darrell Henderson of Memphis, and he was selected a few slots ahead of Montgomery in the third round.

Montgomery is an ideal fit for the Bears offense in that he's a tough inside runner who can create when the hole isn’t there. He has the size and power to get yards after contact and while he didn’t time fast (4.62 at the NFL Combine, 4.57 at his pro day), he plays faster and has a burst to get outside. He's quick-footed and can make defenders miss in tight or in space.

As a receiver, Montgomery is excellent and can adjust to the ball well. If you want a comp, look no further than Kareem Hunt, who was spectacular in this offense when Matt Nagy was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City. The styles of Montgomery and Hunt are similar.

4th round, No. 126 overall: Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia

Receiver wasn’t a primary need for the Bears, but Ridley was too good to pass on. Some analysts projected him to go in the second or third round, so the Bears viewed his addition as a bargain.

Ridley timed a 4.58, but he plays faster and is smooth. He's a good route runner who consistently got separation coming out of cuts because of his good body control and burst. He has excellent hands, with the ability to snatch the ball to make difficult plays. His run-after-the-catch skills are good because of both his instincts and elusiveness.

Ridley reminds of new Bears teammate Allen Robinson when he was coming out of college. They have similar size, speed and athleticism, and their route-running skills as college players was similar.

Being that receiver is already a strength for the Bears, Ridley might not be more than a No. 4 on the depth chart. Still, he has the potential to become a productive starter down the road. If the Bears lose one of their top receivers to injury, they will be glad they have Ridley.

6th round, No. 205 overall: Duke Shelley, CB, Kansas State

If you put on Kansas State tape and didn’t know his size, you would think Shelley would be a solid third-round pick. He's quick, fast (4.48), productive (eight career interceptions) and fearless. His problem is his size. At 5-foot-8 1/2 and 175 pounds, Shelley is small. What stands out is he's tough, and his 31.5-inch arms help him play taller than he measures.

Shelley had 56 total tackles in 2017. He then had 33 total tackles in just seven games in 2018, when he missed part of the season with a toe injury.

Shelley is limited to being a slot cornerback because of his size. His game is similar to that of Bryce Callahan, whom the Bears let walk in free agency in March. Shelley will compete with free-agent addition Buster Skrine for the slot cornerback position. Because of his size and positional limitation, Shelly also needs to prove he can be a solid special teams contributor in order to make the team's 53-man roster this season. The worst-case scenario is he's on the practice roster this year.

7th round, No. 222 overall: Kerrith Whyte, RB, Florida Atlantic

Whyte played in a rotation with follow running back draftee Devin Singletary at Florida Atlantic, forming one of the better backfield tandems in the country. Whyte ran for 866 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 10 passes for an additional 160 yards. He also averaged better than 28 yards per kickoff return with one touchdown.

Whyte isn’t big at 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds, but he's fast and explosive (4.38 speed, 42-inch vertical and 11-foot standing long jump). As a runner, he shows good vision and when he sees a seam, he’s gone. In a way, he's similar to Bears running back Tarik Cohen, though not as elusive. He may have a little better after-contact ability than Cohen.

Where Whyte has to make his mark is as a returner and spot player. It’s obvious that the Bears coaching staff is looking for more speed in the offense just by looking at the player acquisitions this spring. Whyte has the speed and the college production. Now he has to prove's is ready for the NFL.

7th round, No. 238 overall: Stephen Denmark, CB, Valdosta State

The least known member of the Bears' draft class is Denmark, who played at Division-II Valdosta State and wasn't invited to the combine. At the Valdosta pro day, Denmark was exceptional and started to get a lot of interest from around the league. He measured 6-foot-2 1/2 and 220 pounds while running a 4.48. He also had a vertical jump of more than 40 inches. That speed and jumping ability is hard to find for 220-pounders, which caused teams to take a look.

Denmark’s tape is impressive, and he dominated against D-II competition. He’s a physical press cornerback who can play the ball and support the run. By NFL standards, he's raw, so he may need a year on the practice squad. If he shows the physicality in camp that he showed on tape, he may stick as a special teams player. At this time, he's the least likely to make the roster, but he boasts some clear upside.