Tag: Kerrith Whyte jr.

Grading the 2019 Bears draft class after 3 years

Three years later, we’re evaluating the 2019 Bears draft class.

The 2022 NFL draft is quickly approaching for the Chicago Bears, where another group of playmakers will be selected with hopes of being productive contributors.

But as soon as the draft ends, the grades and analysis begins for the players who were just selected. It’s a tough exercise since no one has any idea how each player will perform at the next level, which is why it’s best to wait to assign final grades until three years later.

Being able to grade picks and players after three years in the league provides a much clearer picture on how each pick has or hasn’t panned out. And that brings us back to 2019 where former general manager Ryan Pace made five total selections in the draft that would hopefully help a Bears team coming off of a division title and heartbreaking playoff loss.

The Bears have yet to reach those heights, but what about the players themselves? Here are the grades for each player selected by the Bears in the 2019 NFL draft.

Jaguars do some shuffling with the practice squad

The Jags made a few adjustments to their practice squad on Monday morning, including bringing back receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe.

Coming off a frustrating 37-19 loss to Tennessee, Jacksonville heads back to the drawing board as a it tries to avoid an 0-6 start when it takes on the Miami Dolphins in London on Sunday morning.

Ahead of that game, the Jaguars made some tweaks to their practice squad, adding running back Kerrith Whyte Jr., offensive lineman Jared Hocker and receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe.

Whyte is a third-year player who was drafted in the seventh round in 2019 and has 122 career rushing yards. He spent this past offseason with the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, Hocker is a first-year guy out of Texas A&M who most recently spent some time on the Los Angeles Rams practice squad, and Imatorbhebhe is another rookie who signed with the Jags after the draft and spent most of the offseason with the team.

To clear space for these moves, the team released offensive lineman Austen Pleasants, who was signed last week, as well as running back Wendell Smallwood and receiver Devin Smith, the latter of which saw a bit of preseason action and nine offensive snaps Week 1 against Houston with the Jags.

With some injuries and the team looking to build for the future, it’s not surprising to see some shuffling with the practice squad, and we’ll keep you posted on if any of these players will be activated for the trip to the United Kingdom.

Ranking each Bears draft class under Ryan Pace

When you put each of Bears GM Ryan Pace’s first five draft classes next to one another, how do they stack up?

We’re down to just hours before the 2020 NFL Draft officially begins in Las Vegas, NV virtually, giving teams yet another opportunity to improve their roster as the offseason marches on.

For Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace, this year’s draft will be his sixth and like most GMs, he’s found his share of diamonds in the rough while missing badly on top prospects.

But when you put each of his first five draft classes next to one another, how do they stack up? Below is a ranking of Pace’s worst to best draft classes between 2015 and 2019.

5) 2019 draft class

Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Key hits – None

Key misses – None

It seems a little unfair to rank the Bears most-recent draft class in last place, considering the players have only had one season to develop. But the truth is, none of the Bears five picks have shown they are true hits yet. They also relinquished their first and second-round picks when they traded for All-Pro outside linebacker Khalil Mack prior to the 2018 season.

Their first selection didn’t come until pick No. 73, trading up in the third round for running back David Montgomery. The former Cyclone was decent and definitely showed flashes throughout the season, but he wasn’t consistent enough and only averaged 3.7 yards per carry. He wasn’t bad by any means, but he wasn’t a standout. Most notably, he was the only rookie to play a significant amount of snaps.

Their next pick, wide receiver Riley Ridley, didn’t play a single down until Week 13 and failed to make an impact. Cornerback Duke Shelley, the Bears’ sixth-round pick, spent a large portion of the season inactive, and their pair of seventh-rounders in running back Kerrith Whyte Jr. and cornerback Stephen Denmark were released and spent the year on the practice squad, respectively.

It was a rough year for this rookie class, but the bright side for this group is Montgomery, Ridley, and Shelley will have more opportunities to prove themselves and take the next step in their careers in Year 2.

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Bears’ 2019 rookie class ranked 8th in NFL

It was hard to expect much from the Bears’ 2019 rookie class considering that they had 5 selections. But where did they rank in the NFL?

It was hard to expect much from the Bears’ 2019 rookie draft class considering that they had just five draft selections, including no picks before Round 3 and three selections in Round 6 and 7.

The Bears’ rookie class was less than impactful. David Montgomery was the only rookie that saw substantial playing time in 2019, as he took over as the team’s starting running back.

Surprisingly, ESPN and Pro Football Focus ranked the Bears’ rookie class the eighth best in 2019.

The Bears have a strange class. They had only five picks, none before Round 3, with three of those five selections coming after Round 6. As a result, their expected return was low. Running back David Montgomery was really the only Bears’ rookie to play significant snaps, and he managed to provide enough return from his third-round selection to land them at No. 8.

While Montgomery showed flashes of potential in Matt Nagy’s limited rushing offense, you could argue that it wasn’t enough to garner the Bears’ underperforming rookie class in the top-10. Montgomery had 889 rushing yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.

Highly-touted fourth-round receiver Riley Ridley was shelved for most of the season, and it took injuries to the Bears receiving corp. for Ridley to get some playing time in the final three games. He finished his rookie season with six receptions for 69 yards.

Sixth-round cornerback Duke Shelley was confined to special teams in his rookie season. While seventh-round running back Kerrith Whyte Jr. was signed off the Bears practice squad by the Steelers, where he had 24 carries for 122 yards in six games. Then there’s seventh-round cornerback Stephen Denmark, who spent his rookie season on the Bears’ practice squad.

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Steelers sign RB Kerrith Whyte Jr. from Bears’ practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed seventh-round RB Kerrith Whyte Jr. off the Chicago Bears’ practice squad.

Aside from running back David Montgomery, the Chicago Bears’ 2019 rookie class has been underwhelming to say the least.

They’ve played the fewest snaps in the NFL at 366 snaps, while NFL draft classes have averaged 1,441 snaps, and Montgomery has been the only pick that’s seen significant playing time.

To add insult to injury, the Bears have lost Kerrith Whyte Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who signed the running back off Chicago’s practice squad to their 53-man roster

Chicago drafted Whyte Jr. in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, where he provided versatility on offense and special teams with his speed.

After the Bears waived running back Mike Davis last week, in order to better their odds at securing a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2020, Chicago elevated running back Ryan Nall to the active roster in his place.

Whyte Jr. was a part of a draft class that consisted of Montgomery (third round), receiver Riley Ridley (fourth round), cornerback Duke Shelley (sixth round) and cornerback Stephen Denmark (seventh round).

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Bears rookie draft class has played fewest snaps in the NFL

Despite receiving high praise coming out of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Bears’ 2019 draft class has been nowhere to be seen.

It’s been nearly seven months since the 2019 NFL Draft concluded in Nashville, and 254 players saw their NFL dreams come true. Five of those eventually becoming Chicago Bears.

Running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Riley Ridley, cornerback Duke Shelley, running back Kerrith Whyte Jr. and cornerback Stephen Denmark rounded out the 2019 Bears rookie class, a group that received high marks following the draft.

But despite the high praise, you may have noticed that outside of Montgomery, the Bears rookie class has been nowhere to be seen. It’s not your eyes playing tricks on you, it’s reality.

After calculating each team’s snap counts via Pro Football Reference through Week 10 of the NFL season, the Bears rookie draft class has played a total of just 366 snaps, the fewest in the NFL. For context, NFL rookie draft classes have averaged 1,441 snaps. The New York Giants, led by quarterback Daniel Jones, have the most snaps at 3,226.

Out of the Bears’ 366 snaps, Montgomery, their top draft pick selected in the third round, accounts for 329 and Shelley, their sixth-round pick, has played the remaining 37 plays. Ridley, Whyte Jr., and Denmark have yet to see the field.

Without a first or second round pick due to trades involving outside linebacker Khalil Mack and wide receiver Anthony Miller, respectively, the Bears relied on their mid-round picks to find talent.

General manager Ryan Pace has had success in rounds 3-7 throughout his tenure, finding gems such as safety Adrian Amos, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, safety Eddie Jackson, running back Tarik Cohen, and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, who contributed immediately in the regular season and/or developed into solid players in the NFL.

But after a slew of success in those rounds, the Bears appear to have stalled this season, only utilizing one rookie regularly in games. While they did tie with the New Orleans Saints for the fewest amount of picks in the draft, the Saints’ rookie class has played 1,095 snaps so far in 2019, ranked 23rd in the league.

With such few picks, the need to hit on draft picks is more crucial than ever. Montgomery has shown flashes of his hard-nosed running that made him a popular back while at Iowa State.

Ridley was touted as a precise route-running receiver who would translate well to the next level, and Shelley was a ball hawk at Kansas State before injuring his ankle, hurting his draft stock. Both players are on the active roster, but have been healthy scratches for most, if not all the games. Ridley has not been active for any game this year and Shelley last played in Week 4 against Minnesota on special teams. Whyte Jr. and Denmark have spent the season on the practice squad.

With six games remaining and a spot in the playoffs still achievable, it’s unlikely fans will see the other members of the rookie draft class barring injury. But at some point, Matt Nagy and the rest of the coaching staff need to know what they have in their rookies and how they can contribute in 2020 and beyond.

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