Clearly, Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears are focused on improving the offensive side of the ball and protect their future in Justin Fields. This is evident in the aggressive move to trade up and select Teven Jenkins in the beginning of the second round yesterday. Now, the team waited to actually make a selection at their own pick and took another offensive linemen in Larry Borom.
The draft pick was 151, which was part of the Teven Jenkins trade. If you don’t recall, Ryan Pace sent their second-rounder (52nd-overall pick), third-rounder (83rd-overall pick) and a sixth-rounder (204th-overall pick) to the Carolina Panthers for their second-rounder (39th-overall pick) and their fifth-rounder (151st-overall pick).
After two trades on Day 1 and Day 2, the Chicago Bears select Larry Borom
The Chicago Bears fan base has been ecstatic about what Ryan Pace has been able to do with the first two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Landing Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins is a huge addition to a team looking to win while the defensive window is still strong. This shift to offense is needed as the team has not done enough on that side of the ball over the last few years.
Now, with this fifth-round pick, I am going to just trust Ryan Pace. If Pace has proven anything over the years, he does a great job in the fourth and fifth rounds. Selecting Larry Borom was not what I expected. Offensive line is always an area a team should look to improve, but wide receiver and cornerback were the two positions I would have preferred to see here.
The good news is, there are still some options to look at late and both positions. Looking at Larry Borom, I think Ryan Pace, Matt Nagy and offensive line coach Juan Castillo are looking at Borom’s versatility. Where he lacks in athleticism, he brings in size and technique. Borom stands 6’6″ and weighs in at 340 pounds.
What I like about Borom is how he has improved over the years while playing on Missouri’s offensive line. He has spent time at both guard and tackle, but played right tackle throughout the 2020 season. I wonder if the Chicago Bears are going to try and see if Teven Jenkins can play left tackle at any point even though he projects more as a right tackle. Could Charles Leno be getting cut after June 1st to save the team even more salary cap? Either way, Borom brings more depth.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him an overall grade of 87.0 this past season, after being in the 60s in 2018 and 2019. Borom saw some solid opposition playing in the SEC too. In 2020, Larry Borom only let up one sack and four pressures. An interesting tidbit is that Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times just tweeted out that Larry Borom trained with Justin Fields in California over the offseason. Could Fields have played a part in the pick — interesting.
Final Thoughts:
Again, I am going to give Ryan Pace all the trust in the world with this pick. He was not in my list of prospects to draft, but clearly there were things they seen and liked. The Chicago Bears are doing a great job in this draft with only a few picks left to go in the sixth round. Buckle up and get ready for more to come.