Draft Weekend is Here, But Ryan Pace Isn’t on the Clock … Yet (And Other Bullets)

Today seems like a good day to do something you have been putting off for a while. Just a thought.

Happy Draft Day! Unless Bears GM Ryan Pace pulls a rabbit out of his hat, the team isn’t going to have a pick tonight. And while that’s kind of a bummer because Day 1 of the NFL Draft is always a treat, wouldn’t you rather have a 12-win division champion with realistic aspirations of a Super Bowl instead of a(nother) top-10 pick?

Here are the picks the Bears are working with:

Think we can make some more Pro Bowlers out of these picks?

We do. pic.twitter.com/y32NFzZd5R

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 25, 2019

And here is a collection of players who have been selected with each pick the Bears own in this coming draft:

No. 87: Eric Decker, Wide receiver (2010)

No. 126: Elvis Dumerville, Defensive end (2006)

No. 162: Brent Celek, Tight end (2007)

No. 222: Trent Green, Quarterback (1993)

No. 238: Raheem Brock, Defensive end (2002)

See! There is value to be had in the draft. You just have to look really hard for it … and get lucky. Piece of cake, right?

Who needs a first-round pick anyway?

“With their first round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select … Khalil Mack, Certified Badass from Oakland CC.” https://t.co/JwaL8eAN13

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 25, 2019

The buzz is that the Bears are going to take a running back at some point. It doesn’t have to be with the 87th pick, but maybe it would be nice to get that out of the way early. Then again, if a running back isn’t the best player on your board, there is no need to force-fit a pick when there is a loaded class of mid-round backs who could make a similar impact. The Bears got to this point by drafting the best players on their board, so why change?

To that end, Pace says he likes the running backs room as is. “We like Mike Davis. We like that running back room. For us, we get some value for Jordan (Howard) and it’s just the way it all transpired,” Pace said, via the Bears’ official website. “We feel good about where we’re at and what we have going forward.”

The GM doth protest too much, me thinks.

Pace won’t be on the clock until Friday, but after watching him conduct four drafts, the general feeling is that – at some point – he’s going to do something no one really saw coming. And honestly, I can’t wait for that moment to come.

A color-coded NFL Draft chart highlighting the distribution of picks could come in handy this weekend:

Distribution of the 2019 NFL Draft picks
> UPDATED after the Frank Clark trade
> KC 1st to SEA
> Swap of 3rd rounders

I calculated the draft capital per team using the Jimmy Johnson (J.J.) & Chase Stuart (C.S.) draft pick value charts.

Sorted by the @fbgchase model 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/Ts35Rlbvq6

— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) April 23, 2019

Draft picks made in 2019 could put previous selections on thin ice. Pro Football Weekly’s Arthur Arkush points out the Bears whose futures could change based on who the team drafts this weekend. For example, a tight end to be selected later this weekend could put someone like Adam Shaheen – a second-round pick in 2017 – on notice. Shaheen has talent, size, and upside, but his injury history has him in a difficult predicament.

This is some tip-top praise:

“He is a fantastic athlete. He can do everything you want in a Vic Fangio 3-4 defense. He’s similar to Roquan Smith. Maybe even a bigger hitter. They need a playmaker in the middle of the field.” — ESPN’s @LRiddickESPN on fit at 10 for #Broncos and Devin Bush. #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/FfItTIyfix

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) April 24, 2019

It’s wild that top prospects in this draft class are already getting compared to Roquan Smith, who was taken a year ago. Sure, it says a lot about those up-and-coming guys. But it also says a ton about how folks feel about Smith. The Bears got a good one and his arrow is still pointing way up!

Charles Leno Jr. is crazy underrated:

My favorite stat in this research? Charles Leno, a 7th-round pick, has started more games (62) than every Bears 6th-round pick *combined* from 2000-15 (58) https://t.co/lvfjO8MGKa pic.twitter.com/tQsVP08gs0

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) April 25, 2019

History is on the Bears’ side:

The most @ProFootballHOF players drafted since 1967! 🧥

2019 #NFLDraft | Tonight on NFLN/ESPN/ABC (8pm ET) pic.twitter.com/ejF3j8ANT3

— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2019

Frying pan sets, vacuums, and dog DNA test kits are among Amazon’s Deals of the Day today.

The guys who are already on the roster are putting in that work at Halas Hall:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwqJsX4HnqB/

Don’t mind us, we’ll just be over here grindin’.

📸: https://t.co/HsGxmtnF6b pic.twitter.com/Nd9N0i1tjh

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 25, 2019

I’m digging Mike Davis’ vibe:

Blessed 1person with 1k tonight. I hope you help one person tomorrow and be thankful to be able to wake up and see another day . We are all capable of being nice to one another and helping each other along the way. Stay blessed everyone 🙌🏿

— IG MikeDavisRB (@MikeDavisRB) April 25, 2019

Ah, well, nevertheless:

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker had offers from the Bears and Cowboys when he was an undrafted rookie in 2012. But he said the decision to come to the Ravens was decided before those other teams called. Tucker then beat out Billy Cundiff for the job.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) April 24, 2019

Pre-draft laughter:

“Who the hell is Mel Kiper?”

25 years ago today, Colts GM Bill Tobin goes on rant after Mel criticized Indy for drafting LB Trev Alberts over QB Trent Dilfer. Classic moment in NFL Draft history. pic.twitter.com/1WKW28rcfL

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 24, 2019

Here’s Darren Rovell running a 4.04 20-yard dash at Nike HQ, with Ndamukong Suh watching. pic.twitter.com/1B57bzcAA6

— Master (@MasterTes) April 24, 2019

This fan bragged that he could run a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash.

Then @katienolan asked him to prove it 😬 pic.twitter.com/jvXR4LTGIi

— ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2019

Ex-Bears cornerback/return specialist Jerry Azumah has made his draft weekend priorities known:

https://twitter.com/JerryAzumah/status/1121415253890301952

Whether it’s football or baseball, scoring celebrations are fun and should be encouraged:

Why “Act Like You’ve Been There,” When You Can BACKFLIP Into Home? https://t.co/jwUELCuXqu pic.twitter.com/pTMa1dBuCM

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) April 25, 2019