While Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has been criticized for swinging and missing with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, he has been credited with bringing a generational talent in outside linebacker Khalil Mack to the franchise.
In just two seasons, Mack has had a significant impact on Chicago’s defense, which has been a top-five unit for two straight seasons — including a down year in 2019.
Not that I need to tell you that Mack is a darn good football player. But his dominance has earned him a spot on Pro Football Focus’ All-Decade Top 101 list from the 2010s, where he clocked in at No. 17.
No. 17 on the #PFFAllDecade101@FiftyDeuce pic.twitter.com/x7cKLGQSq9
— PFF (@PFF) May 14, 2020
In his first year in the league, Khalil Mack was already one of the best run-defending edge rushers in football; by Year 2, he had become an elite pass-rusher; and in his third season, he became a game-changing wrecking machine. Four of his six seasons in the NFL have earned an overall PFF grade above 90.0, and he has never had a grade lower than 86.0. Only coming into the league in 2014 worked against Mack, who has been among the very best players at any position since he came into the NFL.
There’s a reason the Bears made Mack the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history — and traded a pair of first-round picks, among others, for him. Mack is arguably the best edge rusher in the league, and even when he’s not making game-changing plays — which he is known for — he’s impacting the game immensely.
Pace certainly has some regrets during his tenure in Chicago, but Mack is definitely not one of them.
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