Chicago Bears: 3 Things we learned from 2019 rookie minicamp

Bears did not need to draft Riley Ridley but he could be invaluable

The last position many expected the Chicago Bears to go after in the draft was wide receiver. Pace spent much of his free agency capital on that position last offseason to turn it from the worst unit in the NFL to a strong point of the roster.

This offseason, he solidified the unit even more by picking up Cordarrelle Patterson and Marvin Hall. Because of that, many felt the team had good depth already. Then Pace went and drafted Riley Ridley out of Georgia with his fourth round (126th overall) pick.

While the Bears did not need to draft a wide receiver, the one they drafted could be a special one. While he doesn’t possess the speed his brother Calvin Ridley (of the Atlanta Falcons) has, but he is very athletic and he runs great routes. He is similar to Anthony Miller, who makes some incredible catches and runs crisp routes. That route running helps him create separation as much as speed does.

Ridley isn’t a guy who will make 40 or 50-yard bomb plays. He is a possession receiver who will move the chains for you. Defenses will need to account for him underneath or the Bears offense will nickel and dime them to death. Once they do watch him, the deep ball opens up for Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and company.

Ridley already made a great impression on head coach Matt Nagy, per NFL.com:

"I thought Riley had a good day. I thought he looked good, not a lot of mental errors."

On a roster filled with good receivers, Ridley went a long way to grab attention. By doing that he’ll get passes thrown his way early in the preseason. Then he gets a chance to show even more how big an asset he’ll become to this offense.