It’s an undeniable truth that the building blocks for every great team are found in the draft. And while Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace made draft-weekend success a point of emphasis for his rebuild, there was an obvious sense of worry and disbelief – from those outside the organization – after the team made their picks in 2017.
The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain kept the receipts:
Here are some 2017 Bears draft grades:https://t.co/4YXMrVE39J C+
SB Nation C
Bleacher Report D
CBS Sports D
Sporting News D
Washington Post D+
Yahoo D+
Rotoworld FIn their second season, Mitch Trubisky, Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen are going to the Pro Bowl.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) January 21, 2019
YIKES!
We remember how ugly the reports were in the immediate aftermath and how the Bears looked, but do you see why I go out of my way to caution fans (and myself) against grading transactions and drafts on an A-to-F scale?
To be clear, getting a spot on the Pro Bowl isn’t a direct indication of a player’s individual success. And letter grades that are made in the immediate aftermath have no bearing on what will happen down the road. But still … it has to be good for Pace and his staff to see three of the team’s 2017 draft picks earn Pro Bowl trips. Schwing!
Two of the three Pro Bowlers the Bears drafted in 2017 are All-Pros, which has a bit more significance than a Pro Bowl nomination. Not to say that the Pro Bowl is insignificant, because getting chosen to play in the game is still an honor. But the fan-voting aspect throws a loop into things. Then again, the players and coaches votes factor into the equation, too. So if you’re not getting the fan vote to get in as a starter or reserve, earning Pro Bowl alternate status suggests you’re getting some love from your contemporaries who are playing or coaching every Sunday.
What might be more important than All-Pro or Pro Bowl status for these players is some of the big-picture outlook. Because in the end, we’re talking about three players who were part of a division-winning team and are core members of a group that changed the culture at Halas Hall and the franchise’s perception outside of the building. Two years removed from the 2017 draft and there is so much to love about what this group has done and what it could do in the years to come.