That Ryan Pace Late-Round Magic Just Keeps Happening

GM Ryan Pace is a divisive figure among Chicago Bears fans. Some can't stand him because of his high-profile misses in the draft over the past few years. The fact he tends to give up way too many picks in aggressive trades and signing older veterans to bad contracts. Yet one can't ignore the positive things either. That wouldn't be fair. There is no denying Pace has his strengths. By far the most impressive is his uncanny ability to find quality talent in the later rounds. Seriously. It's become a running trend at this point. To such a degree that fans almost expect it every year. Just look at the list.

• 2015 - Adrian Amos (5th round)
• 2016 - Jordan Howard (5th round)
• 2017 - Eddie Jackson (4th round)
• 2018 - Bilal Nichols (5th round)
• 2020 - Darnell Mooney (5th round)

Now it seems that magic continues. Chicago claimed a huge victory on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders. While most of the focus was on Justin Fields, Khalil Mack, and other big names they got major contributions from younger guys. Both of them later round picks. First was Trevis Gipson. Remember how he got his first sack a week ago against Detroit? Well, he notched another against the Raiders. Another reminder of how much progress the former 5th rounder has made.

Yet by far the biggest surprise of the afternoon was Khalil Herbert. A lot of people were afraid of what the Bears ground game would look like without David Montgomery. They had their answer as the team rushed for 145 yards. While Damien Williams was solid and had a touchdown, it was the rookie 6th round pick out of Virginia Tech that took over the game in the second half. He finished with 75 yards on 18 carries. The kid ran hard, was smart, and was also a big help in pass protection.

Ryan Pace deserves credit where it is due

For all the big misses he's had over the years, there is no denying the Bears GM has a knack for finding quality talent in hidden places. Gipson was a defensive end at Tulsa. Not exactly a football factory in college. They felt with some time he could transition to outside linebacker. Now he's sacking the QB each week. Herbert? He was a backup for most of his college career at Kansas before transferring to VT. He topped 1,000 yards his only year there and did enough to get picked. A lot of draft evaluators felt he was a much better player than his draft slot indicated. He was more of a victim of circumstance at Kansas than anything. If he'd started more than one year, he would've gone way sooner. Based on how he played against the Raiders? It's easy to believe. This is further confirmation that Ryan Pace trusts his evaluations when making odd picks like that.

Nobody is laughing now.

Chicago is 3-2 and back in the NFC playoff mix. There is a long way to go but this team is playing hard and most importantly a lot of young guys are stepping up. Herbert, Mooney, and Fields on offense. Gipson, Jaylon Johnson, and Roquan Smith on defense. All of them were draft picks by Pace. If they continue to improve at this rate? Firing him won't be something people should expect to happen anytime soon.