Bears: Riley Ridley exemplifying Chicago’s new draft style in mini-camp

Rookie receiver Riley Ridley turned heads at Chicago Bears mini-camp this week with his route-running and football IQ. Here’s why that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

It’s still a long way from the start of Chicago Bears training camp and the beginning of the 2019 season. We won’t have a good idea of what this year’s rookie class can really do until the pads get strapped on and they start performing against people who aren’t wearing the same uniform.

There, we got that out of the way. Can I talk about Riley Ridley now?

Yes? Okay, great.

First off, I’m not at all surprised that the former Georgia receiver Ridley — whom the Bears selected with their fourth-round pick this spring — has already begun turning heads at the team’s minicamp. Despite not putting up outstanding numbers in Georgia’s pro-style offense, Ridley’s smooth route-running, versatility and experience in a more NFL-type system made him a prime candidate to stand out early on in Matt Nagy’s offense.

In fact, one of the most interesting notes I’ve heard about Ridley thus far is how well he’s caught onto his assignments as he learns his first NFL offensive system.

Never discount how much weight that observation carries for professional coaches, especially when it comes to a rookie. It might not mean Ridley’s going to catch 100 passes or put up 1,000 yards this coming season, but it’s the beginning of Ridley letting coaches know they can count on him to do his job whenever he’s on the field.

The former Bulldog’s early success also brings up a larger point about the Chicago Bears’ recent team-building plan under Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace — a shift that shows who the Bears are and how far they’ve come.

Ridley wasn’t necessarily a sexy pick for the Bears in the fourth round — the fan pulse around that move seemed to be hoping for something more explosive and with higher upside. Furthermore, people wondered how much playing time he would get in such a packed receiver room.

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Similarly, there’s still plenty of skepticism about the Bears’ trade for David Montgomery — a top back in the class that does everything well but might be a more of a high-floor player than a high-ceiling guy.

Even last year, I sensed the slightest sense of “underwhelming” at the Bears’ first-round selection of Roquan Smith. Everyone knew he was a good player. The question was, “Is he special?” (Find me someone upset about that pick now, though.)

That’s a bit of a change from Pace’s penchant for swinging hard for raw talents in need of development as he did with Kevin White, Leonard Floyd and Mitchell Trubisky.

White’s now gone after battling through injury and then being unable to get on the field last season. Floyd has proven a good player but still hasn’t reached his full potential yet heading into his fourth year. Expectations are borderline through the roof for Trubisky this year after a season of steady improvement in 2018, but whether or not he’s even capable of meeting it is still up in the air.

But as the Bears have upgraded the talent on their roster as a whole, they’ve changed the types of top talent they invest in.

In 2018, it was Smith, James Daniels, Anthony Miller, and Bilal Nichols jumping straight in and contributing heavily from Week 1. They might not have been the super-intriguing athletic marvels people salivate over, but they’re all intelligent with skills that translate quickly to the NFL.

Montgomery and Ridley — the team’s only picks before Round 6 — also fit that mold.

With the talent level on this team, the rookies won’t be counted on to come in and change the entire direction of the team the way someone like Trubisky was when he started his first game in 2017. They’ll get their opportunities to prove themselves in camp and earn chances this year to contribute to what should be a playoff team. And they were brought to Chicago for their abilities to do this that.

Ridley’s mini-camp performance is just the latest example of that philosophy leading to exactly the kinds of first impressions coaches want to see.

Perhaps he could be in for a better year than we thought.