Chicago Bears: 5 reasons Ryan Pace nailed 2021 NFL Draft
By Ryan Heckman
2. Ryan Pace ensured the Chicago Bears franchise QB would be protected
Immediately after making the move for Fields, Pace entered Day 2 on a mission. The man didn’t blink, he just continued to focus on Fields as his quarterback of the future. His first move following the drafting of Fields should tell you all you need to know about Pace and his current state as the Bears’ general manager.
Moving up 13 spots in the second round to draft Teven Jenkins was almost as bold of a move as Pace made in the first round because it also cost quite a bit. But, Jenkins was worth it. Jenkins was arguably a top-three offensive tackle in this draft but fell out of the first round for some reason.
This is a kid who plays with a nasty edge, wanting to finish everybody in his path. Not only that, but he takes protecting his quarterback very seriously.
New Bears OT Teven Jenkins: "The No. 1 thing I've always learned is, you keep your quarterback clean & you always keep him upright, no matter what you have to do. Be dirty, hold, do what you gotta do. If anybody hits my quarterback after the play, that's my problem, not his."
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) May 1, 2021
Not only did Pace go up and get Jenkins, but after waiting over 100 picks to make just his third selection of the draft, he went offensive line again. Pace drafted another tackle, this time being Missouri’s Larry Borom.
Like Jenkins, Borom moves piles, except in different ways. Borom is simply a man who takes up space and can move opposing linemen because of his mass. He has a wide, thick frame that’s just plain hard to navigate around. Last year, Borom’s shining moment was when he allowed zero pressures in the game against Alabama. He also finished the season allowing pressure on less than 1.0% of quarterback dropbacks.