Chicago Bears 2021 Draft Class Flashed Again In Win Over Seattle

The end of this season was always going to be tough to watch. The Chicago Bears just aren't a good enough football team right now. They have several issues to sort out. Especially with their coaching staff. It's apparent each and every week that Matt Nagy just isn't capable of getting the most from his players. With that said, it was yet another week where the team saw signs of potential from their 2021 draft class. Despite Justin Fields not playing due to an ankle injury and Teven Jenkins leaving early with a shoulder issue, the young bucks still managed to help the Bears make things happen in a meaningless game. One of them was Dazz Newsome. The 6th round wide receiver out of North Carolina made a nice catch for a 1st down early in the game, then followed that up with a pretty 28-yard punt return that set up the Bears' first touchdown. [video width="1920" height="928" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Dazz-Newsome-punt-return.mp4"][/video]

That is exactly what he did in college.

It got better later in the 3rd quarter. Here 5th round pick Larry Borom, filling in at left tackle, combined with 6th rounder Khalil Herbert for a 20-yard touchdown to cut Seattle's lead to three. Borom threw an excellent block, kicking out L.J. Collier and giving Herbert enough time to hit the wide open hole for the score. It was another reminder of how talented the two youngsters are. Cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. also recovered to have a solid game on defense after getting burned by D.K. Metcalf early. This included a huge pass breakup to force a Seahawks punt that set the stage for the Bears' game-winning drive. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Khalil-Herbert-takes-it-to-the-house-@NFL-DaBears-.mp4"][/video] In a lost year, it's important to hang onto the little things. Seeing flash plays from so many members of this draft class offers one hope. Hope that with an upgrade to the coaching staff, they might take a big step forward in 2022. If this is the case and the Bears landed maybe five or six legitimate contributors to their roster including a quarterback and two tackles? That is beyond wild.

The Chicago Bears have a tough decision to make with Ryan Pace

Like it or not, he is the one that put this class together. His 2020 class is also proving to be pretty decent too. Jaylon Johnson is a genuine stud at cornerback. Darnell Mooney has major potential as a receiver. Cole Kmet too has made strides in his second year despite some continuing drop issues. It is hard to ignore the facts. Pace, for all his perceived faults, seems to have drafted quite well the past two offseasons. The big challenge for George McCaskey is whether he should give the GM one last chance to get the head coach right. Previous hires in John Fox and Nagy haven't gone well. Trusting Pace with a third opportunity feels like a big risk. Especially given how depleted the roster looks. Not to mention aging and expensive. Perhaps the Chicago Bears would be better off just wiping the slate clean.

Promising as this draft class looks, it's difficult to excuse the other transgressions.

Either way, it at least looks like the future for the Bears is a bit brighter than feared. They have young talent coming up in the pipeline at some vital positions. Some tweaks to the roster this offseason and improved coaching staff might result in a faster turnaround than some people are expecting.