What is the Ryan Pace Bears Box? To help explain it’s important to go over the details again first. Chicago has put together a rather interesting first two days of the 2017 draft. Most experts remain somewhat perplexed by it all, both disappointed and yet intrigued at the same time.
The Bears got the top rated quarterback in the class on most boards in Mitch Trubisky, but gave away three extra draft picks to do it. Then they got some of those picks back by trading down in the second before selecting Division II phenom tight end Adam Shaheen. Again a pick that initially felt like a reach but had a world of potential close behind it.
So why did Pace target these two players? Especially considering ones who were more proven still lay on the board at the time. Aside from the obvious physical upside of both, Pace revealed something fascinating. Something that gave a look inside to how he approaches the entire draft.
They fit the “Bears Box.”
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The Ryan Pace Bears Box
#Bears notate draftees with a "#Bears box" when they check all boxes in locker room and field. Trubisky/Shaheen both qualify. Only 20 or so
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) April 29, 2017
Every team has their own little intricacies when it comes to the draft. Some like to do things different than others. No board is ever the exact same. It’s really interesting to see how Pace and his front office approach this draft. In essence this box he’s referring to are the players deemed by him and the front office to fit every single parameter of what makes up a Bears football player.
Now “20 or so” may sound like a lot but considering there are over 250 picks in a draft and well over 300 prospects in general? That’s a pretty exclusive club. To get two such players who are deemed top talents and locker room guys is pretty good. One can only guess on how many after left with the final four rounds still to go.
Love of the game
It seems a number of draft experts agree with that assessment. Of course they love the talent of both, but it was the mental aspects of their game that also stuck out. Just listen to what the North Carolina recruiter told the MMQB about his encounter with Trubisky.
“They said all the things you want to hear: He cares about others, he has a good work ethic. These two things always came up: He’s a great kid, he loves his family,” Anderson says. “But what sold me was how he practiced.”
Mentor closed with a team period, offense versus defense. The coaches let Trubisky run it. “He called plays, formations, everything,” Anderson says. “It was like watching a coach on the field. It was like watching a seasoned vet, not a junior in high school. I mean, it’s stuff I hope our college players can do.”
Pretty impressive stuff. Well, not to be outdone Shaheen actually has a fascinating road to the NFL that required a certain dedication and level of character as SB Nation found out back in March.
“After high school, Shaheen picked basketball over football because he received a scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. As he said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday, Ohio State wasn’t knocking on his door. But after attending a Buckeyes game against Wisconsin, the football bug bit.
Shaheen made the decision to transfer to Ashland and pursue football, but he knew to play tight end he had to get bigger. And thus began an odyssey of dining at Chipotle (and working out, playing football, and generally being more athletic than those who build mass thanks to burritos).”
Think about that. The kid had a full ride to play basketball on scholarship but loved football so much that he transferred to a Division II school and completely changed his diet so he could play. Then through sheer hard work he transformed himself into a second round pick of the NFL draft. People don’t really grasp the level of dedication and effort something like that takes.
It’s easy to see why the Bears fell in love with both young men. Not only could they be great players in Chicago, but also great role models.
