Chicago Bears: 5 Sleepers to target in 2020 NFL Draft
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace likes to go for relatively unknown prospects. Here are five sleeper picks he should target in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In just over a week, the 2020 NFL Draft will be upon us. With all the problems in the world we’re dealing with, the draft is a welcome distraction. While we don’t have any games, the speculation on what the Chicago Bears and other teams in the league will do helps us forget about the pandemic and brings us some excitement. Just look at what happened when free agency hit.
That same excitement will happen when the draft commences on April 23. We’ll be locked onto our television screens to see what moves the Bears make to help improve the roster. General manager Ryan Pace received a lot of criticism for his free agency moves so let’s see how he fares in the draft.
Pace loves to target prospects who aren’t widely known. He likes looking for players from small schools or players who didn’t make a big impression on scouts. He drafted players like Adrian Amos, Jordan Howard, Nick Kwiatkoski, Tarik Cohen and Bilal Nichols. He also likes to take chances on players who other teams feel are risky, like drafting Eddie Jackson while he was dealing with a severely broken leg.
There are, of course, some players Pace whiffed on. The biggest name to come to mind is tight end Adam Shaheen. Shaheen had some big games at Ashland. His talent did not translate to the NFL, however. Getting drafted in the second round, it’s safe to say he’s one of the Bears’ biggest draft busts in Pace’s tenure and otherwise.
There are some sleeper prospects in this draft that Pace would love to have. Most of Chicago’s picks are in the middle to late rounds. Pace has a good history drafting there and that’s where most sleepers are so he’ll have plenty of diamonds in the rough to target. In fact, he might even trade one or both of his second-round picks to acquire more picks later.
Here are five sleeper targets the Chicago Bears should target in the 2020 NFL Draft.