Bears GM Ryan Pace is one of the most interesting people of the 2021 NFL draft
Ryan Pace is entering a make-or-break season in his seventh year as general manager of the Chicago Bears. After a less-than-enthusiastic free agency period, all eyes turn to the NFL draft, where many will be looking to Pace to see just how desperate he is.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr created a list of the 10 most interesting people of the NFL Draft, those that could “help define the chaos and control the flow” of draft weekend. Pace made the list, and we all know why.
The embattled Bears general manager seems to be standing pat for now. Despite offering a king’s ransom for Russell Wilson, Chicago appears content in working with Andy Dalton. Will that remain the same if the board goes haywire on opening night? Could we see Pace try and move up to No. 4 or maneuver somewhere else in the round to secure some competition for Dalton? Could we see him active early in the second round, attempting to hit on a boom-or-bust prospect that may not require the same amount of capital (a scenario that makes the most sense to me)? I’ll maintain that general managers with their backs against the wall are some of the most dangerous and unpredictable actors in the draft. Pace, who is still reeling from the Mitch Trubisky whiff, is no doubt feeling the heat and needs to come out of this stretch of time with a good enough team to compete in the NFC North.
If the Bears ultimately decide to trade up, you figure it has to be to make a move for a quarterback. With quarterbacks all but guaranteed to go 1-2-3 in the draft, that will leave just two of the top five prospects still up for grabs for some quarterback-needy teams.
Which is why all eyes will be on Pace. After all, this is the same man that traded up one spot to draft Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. The same man that said he would draft a quarterback every year only to select one once in six years.
Pace has garnered a reputation for trading up to select his guy, whether that was Trubisky, Anthony Miller, Leonard Floyd or even Eddie Jackson. So it wouldn’t exactly be a surprise to see him do the same in a couple of weeks.
Will he or won’t he? That’s why Pace is one of the most interesting names to following during draft weekend.
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Chicago Bears pre-draft 53-man roster prediction
