Chicago Bears 2019 Draft Class Earns Surprisingly High Grade

The Chicago Bears 2019 draft class coming into the season with low expectations. It wasn't much of a shock. Due to prior trades, GM Ryan Pace had left his team with no 1st or 2nd round selections. All told, they had five overall, losing another when Pace traded up again to #73 overall, grabbing Iowa State star running back David Montgomery. It was hoped he could become the new focal point of their backfield after the team had traded Jordan Howard to Philadelphia.

After one season of work, it was time to ask the question. Where does the Bears' 2019 class stand in terms of productivity? Most would assume it earns a lower grade for simply being a smaller class than most. However, Pro Football Focus seemed to disagree. They wrote on ESPN that Chicago got a lot more out of it than they probably should've, earning 8th place in the league. This due almost entirely to the efforts of Montgomery.

"The Bears have a strange class. They had only five picks, none before Round 3, with three of those five selections coming after Round 6. As a result, their expected return was low. Running back David Montgomery was really the only Bears' rookie to play significant snaps, and he managed to provide enough return from his third-round selection to land them at No. 8."

Chicago Bears 2019 draft class was all about Montgomery

A lot of it wasn't pretty, but Montgomery certainly earned everything he got this past season. Despite terrible blocking from his offensive line and an inconsistent quarterback, he managed 1,074 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. That is typically a lot more than teams usually get from 3rd round picks. It's fair to wonder how much better he could've done had the situation across the rest of the offense not been so terrible.

Hopes remain high that others in the class will soon start to step up. Particularly wide receiver Riley Ridley and cornerback Duke Shelley. Neither got much playing time as rookies. If either of them are able to contribute to the level Montgomery has in the coming seasons, then the Bears should count themselves lucky. Getting a productive return out of a draft class featuring just five picks and no 1st or 2nd round choices is something that almost never happens.