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We all know you can accurately grade an entire NFL draft class the day of and/or after it's completed, right? That doesn't stop people from trying, however. So let's round up some grades from various sources around the NFL on how the Bears performed over the past three days.
NFL.com and CFB 24/7 gave the Bears an A for their performance, largely centered on their Day 1 and Day 2 work. Day 3 got a B+, but there's no analysis on why. Here's what they said:
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A
Day 3 grade: B+
Overall grade: A
The skinny: The hometown crowd reacted positively to the Bears' first pick, and it wasn't alone. New GM Ryan Pace grabbed a player with arguably the highest upside in the draft. Jay Cutler said goodbye to Brandon Marshall and hello to someone with the potential to be even better in White, which has to make Cutler happy even if the front office might have tried to trade him. Good luck to opposing defenses trying to defend White and Alshon Jeffrey. At times, Goldman was dominant in the middle of Florida State's defense, and John Fox is hoping that happens in the Windy City. Oregon offensive linemen have worked out well for the Bears in recent years, and Grasu should continue that trend.
Bottom line: Nice start for new GM Ryan Pace, landing key fits and players who could have long NFL careers.
ESPN's Mel Kiper was a little harsher, giving the Bears a B+ by knocking their inability to get a pass rusher and a "pretty good tackle prospect." He admitted, however, the same thing of you can't hit every need in one fell swoop. It's behind a paywall, but here's what he had to say:
You could feel some suspense in the auditorium among Bears fans before the Jets (at No. 6) were set to pick. Would general manager Ryan Pace, who has major work to do on the defensive side of the ball, have Leonard Williams fall into his lap at No. 7 overall? Well, it didn't happen because the Jets went with Williams at No. 6, but Kevin White was still the star of the night as he got a huge ovation and hit a clear need for the Bears. This wasn't some massive steal on value, but a sensible pick and a good landing spot -- they'll need production from White in Year 1. My favorite pick for the Bears was probablyEddie Goldman early in Round 2. I thought he could have been taken in Round 1, and they needed to add a D-lineman. Hroniss Grasu has a chance to start early at center. He's a great athlete who can get out in front of runners. Jeremy Langford gives them a solid depth option and should get his share of carries next to Matt Forte. Adrian Amos is obviously a favorite of mine (from my alma mater Calvert Hall), and though the Bears helped themselves in free agency at safety, they needed another one. Amos has a chance to help them. If there's a void here, it's a pass-rush addition, but you can't hit every need, and they might have taken Preston Smith for that role if the Redskins hadn't. Pretty good draft overall, with the big question being whether White can transition quickly, as well as the absence of a pretty good tackle prospect, though Tayo Fabuluje will get a good look.
ESPN Chicago's Jeff Dickerson handed out a Thumbs Up to the Bears.
Thumbs up. Only time will tell if the Bears properly evaluated the 2015 draft class. However, the front office seemed intent on correcting past mistakes. In 2014, the Bears drafted a defensive tackle (second round), running back (fourth round) and safety (fourth round). This year, Chicago took a defensive tackle (second round), running back (fourth round) and safety (fifth round). Look familiar? The best part of the Bears' draft is they resisted the urge to reach on players in the top three rounds. -- Jeff Dickerson
SBN's draft guru Dan Kadar over at Mocking the Draft gave the Bears a B+, and he highlighted the same love for Eddie Goldman that seems to be floating around.
Best pick: Goldman - Obviously White was a good pick, but I love Goldman playing the nose next to someone like Ego Ferguson.
Questionable pick: Langford - Langford is little more than a complimentary player for the Bears and somewhat odd considering they took Ka'Deem Carey in the fourth round last year.
Ryan Pace in his first year in Chicago filled a bunch of the team's top needs and found at least two starters in White and Goldman. White is an upgrade over the departed Brandon Marshall and Goldman is an impactful nose tackle. Grasu should challenge for the starting center job early in his career. Amos was a nice choice as a mid-round pick who could push for playing time. Amos does a lot of things well and he could push players like Brock Vereen and Ryan Mundy for snaps.
Overall grade: B+
Grizzly Detail's James Neveau stuck a grade on each individual pick, so instead of hitting each one, his high grade again was an A- on Eddie Goldman (And an A- on Tayo Fabuluje!) while sticking a C+ on Jeremy Langford.
FanSided's Patrick Schmidt gave the Bears an A-. Like others, he loved the combination of Goldman and Grasu. It really seems like Day 2 is where the Bears won a lot of people over.
But enough of them. How about WCG's final grades? Click the links on the round to go to the pick's post!
Round | Pick | A | B | C | D | F | Total Votes |
1st | WR Kevin White | 58% | 29% | 7% | 2% | 3% | 2,381 |
2nd | DL Eddie Goldman | 79% | 17% | 2% | 0% | 1% | 2,576 |
3rd | OL Hroniss Grasu | 52% | 36% | 9% | 1% | 1% | 1,918 |
4th | RB Jeremy Langford | 21% | 41% | 30% | 6% | 3% | 1,158 |
5th | S Adrian Amos | 32% | 42% | 21% | 3% | 1% | 1,169 |
6th | OL Tayo Fabuluje | 17% | 27% | 39% | 13% | 5% | 590 |
You guys seem to agree that day 2 was a solid one, but don't really like the Day 3 picks, especially the draftings of Langford and Fabuluje. Even so, that still looks like a B+/B draft in your guys' books.
Actually, that's exactly what you guys said.
2015 | A | B | C | D | F | Total Votes |
Total Draft | 25% | 53% | 18% | 2% | 2% | 6,580 |
Looks like Pace did a good job on the surface in people's eyes. Now let's wait while the class proves it.