Now that the dust has settled following the completion of the 2019 NFL Draft, Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy met the media to answer questions regarding the Bears newest draft class.
Both decision-makers spent a considerable amount of time raving over their fourth-round selection, WR Riley Ridley from Georgia, who was not expected to be available when the Bears picked in the fourth round.
When asked about Ridley and if the Bears were surprised he was still on the board at pick no. 226, Pace said “honestly, we were. All of us had high grades on him so we were excited to get him at that point in the draft.” Pace went on to say the Bears continue to approach the draft with the best-player-available mentality and said picking Ridley comfortably at their spot was a “no-brainer.”
Pace and Nagy both gushed about Ridley’s route-running ability and explained how route running is becoming a hard-to-find skill among wide receivers. Ridley also has a knack for winning the 50-50 ball, or as he told Pace, “I’m not a 50-50 guy, I win all of them.”
Ridley joins a WR corp that includes Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, former teammate Javon Wims, as well as free agent signee Marvin Hall and undrafted free agent Emanuel Hall from Mizzou. The Bears rookie minicamp is set for May 3-5, 2019.
