Chicago Bears: Detailed look at all of Ryan Pace’s draft-day trades
By Joseph Herff
Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Pace has faced plenty of scrutiny for his work. He came to Chicago in 2015 with high expectations as he studied in the New Orleans Saints organization that was known for creating a great team and managing cap space well. They do that at a high level still to this day.
Pace has rebuilt this team from one of the lowest points in recent memory and took a bottom-tier team to an NFC North title in a short time. Unfortunately, they haven’t returned to that form since 2018, but they still have a talented roster that he constructed through the draft, free agency, and trades. Despite not having first-round picks, he has still found gems in the later round.
On the other hand, Pace has faced the most criticism for his draft choices. From Kevin White to Mitchell Trubisky to Leonard Floyd, Pace hasn’t done the greatest job early. He has made multiple trades though in the draft to go after talented players he saw a value for. Sometimes, he trades back as well knowing he can get players later as well. But, what has he done since he’s been in Chicago, and how has it turned out?
Chicago Bears 2016 NFL Draft
Chicago Bears trade up to select OLB Leonard Floyd
Chicago Bears receive:
- Pick No. 9 – OLB Leonard Floyd
Tampa Bay Buccaneers receive:
- Pick No. 11 – CB Vernon Hargreaves
- Pick No. 106 – Traded to Kansas City Chiefs
The 2016 NFL Draft was a weak one for the first round. Clearly, both teams lost here as the Buccaneers got an extremely weak cornerback who eventually got released and the Bears got Leonard Floyd who also would be categorized as a bust.
Floyd in his time here didn’t live up to his hype. He was a great run-stopping outside linebacker and very good in pass defense, but he struggled to rush the passer. The most sacks he had in a season was seven his rookie season in 2016. The Bears eventually released him to save cap space following the 2019 season in which he only had three sacks. In 2020, Floyd racked up 10.5 sacks for the Los Angeles Rams.