Why Draft Alone Is Unlikely to Meet All Bears' Needs

Analysis: Drafting is a process aimed at the future and Bears are heading into this week's NFL Draft badly in need of instant success

It would be very easy to see this NFL Draft as one where Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace needs to find several Day 1 starters in order to save his job.

Needing wins to save his job is one thing. Coming up with Day 1 starters in this draft is quite another. 

There are enough holes in the lineup to make finding some opening-day starters essential.

"It's a strong draft," Pace said at the combine. "With us having two No. 2s that's impactful for us."

It can be, but the chances are good when this draft ends the Bears will most likely need to dip back into the pool of unsigned free agents to come up with a few more players to compete for starting spots or fill roles.

Pace has drafted 32 players and only five of them came in as opening day starters: outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, center-guard Cody Whitehair, safeties Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson and running back David Montgomery.

Even the player many consider Pace's best draft pick, linebacker Roquan Smith, failed to start on Day 1 through a technicality. He held out and wasn't quite ready. When he got in opening night against the Packers and made three tackles and a sack, his proving period quickly ended.

This isn't to say the players the Bears drafted haven't eventually become starters. In fact, half the 32 became starters in their first year but it took some time before it happened.

Pace might not have that kind of time to squander after five years and only one playoff berth.

Pace really has to be in a win-now mode, even though the process of drafting is never one aimed at winning now.  That's best left for veterans and free agency. 

The window of opportunity is closing rapidly on the defense they built.

In fact, it would be easy to argue it's already shut and they're trying to re-open it.

Since the 2018 season of dominance by their defense ended with Cody Parkey's double-doink, there has been a 35% turnover in the starting lineup. Only 16 games have passed and eight of the 23 players who start—the defense gets 12 starters because the slot cornerback sometimes is a starter based on matchups. 

The NFL stands for Not For Long, former Houston Oilers/Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville said.

In the Bears' case this has never been move evident.

They come into the draft on Thursday with an uncertain starting situation at right cornerback, at safety, at wide receiver and at right guard.

It's easy for the Bears to feel they've adequately covered the right guard spot with potential veteran starters, since Germain Ifedi has started throughout his career in Seattle and Rashaad Coward started 10 games last season. The same is true at wide receiver where they have Riley Ridley, Cordarelle Patterson and Javon Wims to fill in there, and Tarik Cohen also provides speed as a hybrid player. But they don't have the true speed threat the offense badly needs.

The players they've put in place to compete for the safety and cornerback position look more like the group a rebuilding team might use.

Undrafted cornerback Kevin Toliver II, failed Steelers first-rounder Artie Burns and Tre Roberson, who was cut in the NFL before gaining some experience in the CFL, hardly look like a group to challenge Aaron Rodgers a couple times a year. The same is true at safety with veteran reserve Deon Bush and former Chiefs backup Jordan Lucas.

Without a first-round pick, the Bears are not a lot different than they were going into last year's draft.

They hit on only one starter then. They'll need more now, or the window of opportunity and whether it's open or shut might be an issue left to some other decision maker.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven