Ryan Pace ranked 28th among his peers

This one doesn’t surprise me in the least.

The NFL is a quarterback driven league, so if the general manager hasn’t figured out that spot yet he’s getting dinged.

In Rotoworld’s 2020 General Manager rankings, they have Chicago’s Ryan Pace at number 28 with only the Jaguars’ Dave Caldwell and the Lions’ Bob Quinn behind him. As new GM’s in 2020, Andrew Berry from the Browns and Washington’s Ron Rivera aren’t listed.

Pace not only missed on the one quarterback he drafted, but he traded up for him and has since watched the two other top rated QBs on the board that year have more success. To make matters even worse, it was reported that Pace had both Mitchell Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes in the same draft “cloud” and he still moved up for the guy he had conviction in.

Here’s what Rotoworld had to say...

When you are a general manager, you pass on great players. That is part of the deal. You would still rather be known for the picks you made than the ones you didn’t. So is life for Ryan Pace after he traded up for Mitchell Trubisky. As Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson have ascended to the top of the NFL, Pace has tread water in the middle. His one year in the fast lane, 2018’s 12-4 campaign, brought Khalil Mack but mortgaged future assets. The Bears have been limited to just 12 total draft picks over the past two years, zero of which came in the top 40. That is no way to build a roster without a franchise quarterback. Things have scarcely been better in free agency, where Pace backed up the Brinks truck for 30-something veterans Robert Quinn and Jimmy Graham. A pass rusher coming off an 11.5-sack effort is one thing. But a tight end who looked dead legged for a division rival last season? Mystifying. Meanwhile, Pace neither spent nor drafted to address his troublesome offensive line. Even for the best GMs, building a roster is more art than science. Through six years, Pace has yet to paint a pretty picture.

During his time in Chicago, the Bears are 34-46, they only have 1 playoff appearance, and they have yet to hit a home run in the first or second round of the draft. Sure he snagged some pro bowlers and contributors in the mid to late rounds, and he and his scouting staff deserve credit for that, but he needs to find elite talent early on. Roquan Smith, his 2019 first rounder, has the pro bowl potential, but he also has a lot to prove this season.

If James Daniels and Cody Whitehair bounce back, if Roquan shows up big, if he’s right on Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson — his two second round draft picks this year, and if the quarterback play improves in 2020 (that’s a lot of ifs), then he’ll likely climb this ranking next year.

What’s your take on Pace being ranked 28th?