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Suddenly, the Brandon Marshall trade makes more sense.
Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Pace stated months ago that he would select the best player available in the draft regardless of position. With the selection of Kevin White, he’s proven he’s a man of his word.
White has the potential to be a dominant receiving threat for years to come. Having him line up Sundays opposite of Alshon Jeffery gives Jay Cutler a dynamic receiving duo to utilize. That combined with Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte underneath and Eddie Royal as a solid possession receiver, there will be no excuses for Jay Cutler this year.
White has fantastic speed and is coming off a tremendous year at West Virginia. Some scouts are concerned that he may be a “one-year wonder” and that he may be more of an upside pick than a sure thing. With Adam Gase running the offense, he will definitely utilize White’s skill set and put him in the best position to succeed.
Leonard Williams almost fell to the Bears and if the New York Jets had gone a different route, it would have been very interesting to see if White still would have been the selection over Williams. Most scouts considered Williams to be the best pure prospect in the draft and it’s quite surprising he fell all the way to the sixth selection.
Most signs were pointing towards White being the selection and Pace got his man. His development is going to be critical to the Bears offense and the assessment of Pace’s first year as the Bears’ GM.
With an offensive selection in the books, expect the Bears to go defense on the next two picks. Pace needs another pass rusher to add to the defense, and the Bears desperately need another nose tackle to pair with Jeremiah Ratliff. Waiting beyond round two or three would be a poor choice.
The first pick of the Ryan Pace era is in and early returns will show that it is outstanding choice. Based on how the first six picks went, it was the only choice. White has the upside to become the best player to come out of this draft, and if Pace has the eye for talent that he’s been hyped up to have, that could be exactly how this plays out.
