The Chicago Bears weren’t pegged as a team searching for wide receiver help in the run-up to the 2019 NFL draft, but when former Georgia standout Riley Ridley slipped to the fourth round, GM Ryan Pace couldn’t resist.
Ridley was the highest-rated player on the Bears’ draft board, and value trumped need at that point.
It was a pick that’s been met with almost unanimous praise, and according to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, was one of the best value selections of the entire draft.
Jeremiah had Ridley ranked 42nd on his big board, a difference of 84 slots in Chicago’s favor. It was the third biggest gap between Jeremiah’s wide receiver rankings and what actually happened on draft weekend, a good cautionary tale to be careful putting too much weight into the pre-draft hype (or lack thereof) surrounding certain prospects.
Ridley ended the 2018 season with 43 catches for 559 yards and nine touchdowns. His production wasn’t great, but he was a victim of an offense that had several talented targets for QB Jake Fromm in the passing game.
Ridley will challenge last year’s seventh-round pick and former college teammate, Javon Wims, for one of the last receiver spots on the active roster. Former Vanderbilt wideout Emanuel Hall, who was signed as an undrafted free agent, will be in that mix too.
