Chicago Bears find diamonds in the rough before crucial offseason

The Chicago Bears were ranked the eighth most productive rookie class in the NFL by Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders and Alex Vigderman of Sports Info Solutions, Bears senior writer Larry Meyer wrote in a Wednesday article.

The Bears were the only team in the top 10 without a first round pick. The Seattle Seahawks took the top spot with their nine rookie class, while the Carolina Panthers took 32nd.

The list was only based on how much production teams got out of their players in their first season. Sports Info Solutions' total points metric is based on game charting, meaning they take every element of a play and use the data to evaluate each player.

This could be a sign of a positive turnaround for the Chicago Bears. 

The team owns the No. 1 overall pick and over $115 million in cap space. Should the Bears continue to find value picks in the draft, build upon their rookie class and spend their cap space wisely, they can make a huge turnaround in the NFC North and bring out the best of quarterback Justin Fields much sooner than expected.

Chicago's rookie class placed at the 11th spot in 2021 in the Pro Football Focus rankings. Fields headlined the final class of general manager Ryan Pace, whose teams went 8-8 twice and 22-27 after pulling off a miracle 12-4 run in 2018. 

The Bears selected Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter with the first overall pick in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper's mock draft.

"Chicago's roster needs help from top to bottom, but its defense was particularly dreadful in 2022, ranking last in the league in sacks (20) and points allowed per game (27.2)," Kiper wrote. "It has to be D all the way for wherever the Bears make their selection. 

"Carter, an explosive interior pass-rusher and run-stuffer, gets the nod over Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. on my Big Board. He's the best player in this draft, a Day 1 starter in the middle of this defense."