2019 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams
By Conor Dorney
Chicago Bears
Grade: B
Best pick: David Montgomery (RB, Iowa State)
Questionable pick: Riley Ridley (WR, Georgia)
Sleeper pick: Stephen Denmark (CB, Valdosta State)
With the least amount of draft capital of any team in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Bears had to patiently wait their turn until the third round to make their first selection. They made it count with Iowa State’s David Montgomery, an ultra-productive running back who should be an excellent low-cost replacement for Jordan Howard. Montgomery is a patient runner who manages to make the most out of every run and was one of the most pro-ready backs in the entire 2019 class. To be able to get him in the third round is excellent value for Chicago and I’m sure that Matt Nagy has already imagined plenty of ways to maximize his carries with Tarik Cohen in the Bears’ backfield next season.
In a draft class with a lot of intriguing wide receiver options, Riley Ridley of Georgia was one of my more overrated prospects but I do see how he can fit into the Bears’ offense. Ridley offers some upside as a possession receiver over the middle but doesn’t have the desired quickness in order to get himself open against tight coverage. Thankfully for him, he’s landed in an offense that should be able to utilize him properly, but I don’t see him getting many targets in a Bears offense that already has a number of weapons in the passing game.
As far as passing the eye test goes, few small school prospects pass it like Valdosta State cornerback Stephen Denmark. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms, Denmark is a unique athlete in every sense of the word. A receiver-turned-corner, Denmark’s coverage technique is all over the place but you can never complain about taking a seventh-round flyer on a player with that type of athletic profile, even if it means a strictly special teams role early on.