The Chicago Bears didn't receive the best national reaction to their 2016 NFL draft class.
As expected, of course. General manager Ryan Pace went with a unique approach, grabbing guys from smaller schools such as Ashland. Those who have followed Pace's career as a scout on up through director of player personnel with the New Orleans Saints knows he likes to take relative unknowns such as say, Marques Colston, for example.
On a local scale, though, fans knew what to expect going into the ordeal—this is a long-term rebuild and based on the front-loaded contracts doled out in free agency, 2017 is more of a stopgap year before Pace once again attacks premium positions in the 2018 draft.