Known Bears Hater Grudgingly Admits Love For Their Draft

The Chicago Bears 2018 draft class has many in a state of shock. Not because it featured a run of unexpected picks. More because of how well they did. GM Ryan Pace was under a lot of scrutiny coming into this year. After three-straight losing seasons, there were plenty of critics out there who felt he wasn't getting the job done and it might be time to start thinking about a new direction. One of the people who hasn't shied away from this constant criticism is NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison. Every time over the past couple years he's written or talked about the Bears, he's shown them in a strongly negative light. Oftentimes its been comically over the top. Others it was making fun of their historical struggles at a position.

Suffice to say he's not a favorite among Bears fans. So one can imagine what it might be like to hear him say anything positive about the team. Well, prepare for the heavens to fall. Harrison delivered that level of a stunner when he talked about his favorite team drafts of 2018.

Chicago Bears 2018 draft "special" in eyes of Harrison

"Spoke to one of my editors, college buff Gennaro Filice, about drafts he liked. I played coy, not letting him know which hauls I thought were special. First team class out of his mouth: the Chicago Bears. Can't agree more. In Round 1, they got a stud in Roquan Smith out of Georgia (No. 8 overall). Over half the teams in the league could really use that LB. On Day 2, GM Ryan Pace grabbed a couple of players who could contribute sooner rather than later: offensive lineman James Daniels out of Iowa (No. 39) and wideout Anthony Miller from Memphis (No. 51). The latter's competitive nature and willingness to work (including coming back to the ball with those out-of-the-pocket scramblers) should make him a valuable wide receiver, even if it is as a third option. Fifth-round pick Bilal Nichols (No. 145) represents the organizational philosophy to run the football and play defense, supporting Mitch Trubisky in every way. Nichols should be a rotational player on the interior defensive line."

As usual, the utter infatuation around this Bears class centers on their top three picks of Smith, Daniels, and Miller. All three could end up being Day 1 starters this year. Each has legitimate Pro Bowl potential if they develop as expected and can avoid injury. Harrison is not the first person to show that trio with such admiration. The true encouragement comes from his mentioning of Nichols. He's not the first expert to bring up the name of the Bears' fifth round pick. Mike Mayock singled him out during the draft as well. This is a good sign that Pace, once again, has managed to find value in the later rounds as he's done consistently the past few years. All things considered, if Harrison is on board then it's time to believe this class may be legit.