Bears’ fans, what Ryan Pace decision regarding the 20th pick would irritate you most?

We’re now less than two weeks away from the Chicago Bears making their 1st first-round pick since 2018, when they nabbed inside linebacker Roquan Smith from Georgia. That pick was actually a fairly popular one among Bears fans, not like previous Ryan Pace decisions like Kevin White, or trading up for Leonard Floyd, or trading up for Mitchell Trubisky.

So it’s in that same vein of poor choices on day one of the NFL Draft that we asked our team this question.

What Ryan Pace decision regarding the 20th overall selection would irritate you the most?

Several WCG staffers weighed in on the topic and here’s what we had to say.

Robert Zeglinski: If Pace does not take a blue-chip offensive tackle, in one of the best offensive tackle classes in recent memory, and in the event he stays at No. 20 overall, I will be incensed. This is Year 7. It’s time to invest some real, high-end resources into premium, foundational positions on offense.

Josh Sunderbruch: I don’t know if I’m capable of being irritated by a Ryan Pace selection anymore. Disappointed? Sure. Nowadays, though, it’s the disappointment that comes with resignation, not surprise. Trading up for a non-quarterback would be bad. Drafting a project in any way would be bad. I don’t know...maybe a running back? That would be annoying.

Bill Zimmerman: If Ryan Pace owns 2 picks in the first two rounds of the draft, he’s taken an offense/defense split every year but 2017 with the Mitch Trubisky/Adam Shaheen draft. I understand the issues in the secondary so you can make an argument for an offense/defense split again this year, but not as far as I’m concerned. Ryan Pace needs to commit to offense this draft, especially at the top of the draft. There are two things that would annoy me, taking defense at 20 or trading up for a position other than quarterback.

Jacob Infante: I’ve seen quite a bit of hype surrounding North Carolina wide receiver Dyami Brown as a sleeper to go in Round 1, and that’s honestly concerning me from a Bears perspective. He’s fast, but not that fast on tape. He’s good on the 50-50 ball, but he’s not a truly elite route runner. I can see him being a solid starter in the league, but if you’re taking a wide receiver in the first round, you’re not taking a prospect who’s probably just going to be solid.

EJ Snyder: If Pace trades up for a non-QB in the first round I’d be upset. If he chooses to pick the 6th QB off the board at 20 I’d also be disappointed, as other superior players will definitely be available. If he stays at 20 and picks a WR like Kadarius Toney I’d also be less than pleased.

Patti Curl: If I can only pick one, it’s probably wide receiver. The Bears probably have a hole at WR3, but you don’t need to draft a WR3 in the first round. If I’m honest, this irritates me because it would give the impression they are preparing to move on from Allen Robinson, and I’ve gone back to believing they are going to get a long term deal done once AR12 gets some reps with a truly average quarterback like Andrew Dalton.

Laugh all you want, but you don’t need to drive a Ferrari to put a grin on your face if you’ve spent your whole life in Chevy Sparks: a V6 Camry will blow your mind. The worst part is, the best receiver who might be available to the Bears is Rashod Bateman, who has been compared to Allen Robison more than any other prospect in recent years. I don’t want the next Allen Robinson, I want the one we know and love!

Ken Mitchell: Trading up to get the fifth best quarterback on the board, giving up future #1’s. That would irritate me to no end.

Robert Schmitz: I know this’ll probably ruffle some feathers, but if the Bears pick a defender at #20 (or, god-forbid, even higher) I’ll end up pretty upset. That’s not because I don’t see CB as a major need (I do!), but is instead because I’ve started to see high-round defensive adds as either “win now” adds (EDGE, IDL, ILB usually) or “win soon” adds (SAF, CB) due to the volatility of defenses over time versus the relative stability of offenses.

If Pace drafts a defender early, that tells me he thinks this offense, as-is, can win games against next year’s parade of nightmare match-ups, and I think that’s just crazy. Use the first two picks to improve the offense and take the best defender available in the third — with the OT and WR prospects that’ll be present in the first 52 picks, you should come away with great value

Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter: If Ryan Pace decides to reach for a QB not named Davis Mills. Listen, I know I’m the resident Florida Gators fan. I will also tell you all I do not see Kyle Trask as a first round-worthy player. He played himself down the rankings after three bad losses in a row to finish their 2020 season. He has a 3rd round grade from me. Also, Kellen Mond isn’t a bad player, but a first rounder he’s not. This applies to QBs not named Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, or Davis Mills.

Jack R Salo: A trade-up. Yes it’s a loaded draft for quarterbacks, but I see two guaranteed studs in this draft, and they’re mocked almost universally at #1 and #2: Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson. The rest have so much upside that teams slotted in the top-10 would be foolish to pass, no doubt. However, a trade-up involving additional first-rounders, which it certainly will for the Bears to get into the top-10, is a crap-shoot and Ryan Pace is really bad at craps. Trade back, get picks, get cheap, and then we’ll see if Trubisky was the real issue all along.

Sam Householder: I mean, most of his drafting has resulted in irritation eventually. The longer I am a fan of the NFL, the less worked up over draft night I get. You can’t really judge a prospect on a weeknight in April, no one knows if these players will work out or not. There are head-scratching moves for sure, but it takes years to figure out if a pick was a mistake or not. That said, the thing that would tick me off the most is another trade up, specifically a big trade up. If you give up more than one extra first round pick, that’s going to drive me nuts. Stop betting the future on home run swings and stay put and let the draft come to you. There’s a lot of talent in this class and a lot of holes on the roster, too many to give up more capital to take a swing at the fifth best QB.

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: At this point it’s offensive line or bust for me. But since crazy things seem to happen of draft day, like 4 or 5 o-linemen going before the Bears are up at 20, then I could see them going cornerback. Desperation could also drive Pace and Nagy towards trading up for a quarterback, and depending on who it is, and how much they gave up for him, that wouldn’t even bother me.

Of all the mock drafts I’ve looked at these last few months, the ones that have the Bears taking a wide receiver make no sense to me at all. Florida’s Kadarius Toney seems like a popular mocked prospect according to some in the national media, and I’m befuddled after looking at all the talent on the board in those mocks. I get that Allen Robinson could be playing his final year in Chicago, but picking a guy at 20th overall to be WR3 as a rookie seems like a poor use of assets. Especially when there are several upside wide outs that could be had later in the draft.

Now it’s your turn... What Ryan Pace decision regarding the 20th overall selection would irritate you most?