The Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley breaks down the Bears’ five-man draft class and what work the team has left to do:
In his fifth draft, general manager Ryan Pace:
Was characteristically bold. Despite his claims earlier in the week — which no one believed — the Bears absolutely needed to find a running back to share snaps with Mike Davis and Tarik Cohen. David Montgomery fits in well, but the Bears had to pay dearly to move up 14 spots in the third round.
The Bears’ best draft pick was:
Montgomery will be the better player, but finding Georgia receiver Riley Ridley in the fourth round — when he could have gone as high as the second — was the most valuable pick.
An underrated draft pick was:
Duke Shelley was a four-year starter at Kansas State who probably would have gone to the NFL Scouting Combine had he not torn a ligament in his big toe in October. The Bears discussed the cornerback for months leading up to the draft because his competitiveness belied his 5-9 size.
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Should the Bears have drafted a kicker?
Yes. How can they possibly keep a straight face when vowing to fix the position? But I agree with Pace’s assertion that the draft board just didn’t work for them. Two kickers went in the fifth round, where the Bears didn’t have a pick because of the Montgomery trade. Taking a kicker in the fourth round would have been a reach — only one has been chosen that high since 2012.
The Bears still have a hole here:
I believe the Bears will add a blocking tight end before the season starts. They have only three tight ends on their roster now, and they can’t count on Adam Shaheen, who has missed 17 out of a possible 36 games over two years, to stay healthy.
This undrafted free agent can help the Bears:
John Baron II might be better than Redford Jones, Elliott Fry or Chris Blewitt. At San Diego State last year, Baron made all five field goal tries of 50 yards or longer and handled all the Aztecs’ kickoffs. Baron simultaneously upgrades the Bears kicking room but is replaceable if a veteran — Robbie Gould? — becomes available.
