Say Hello to the Bears Draft Pick Ryan Pace Called “Ridiculous”
The Chicago Bears 2019 draft class only involves five players. So it’s among the smallest of any team this year. However, nobody can say it lacks for intrigue. Most of the focus is on the two names at the top in David Montgomery and Riley Ridley. Two guys who stand a great chance to play as rookies this season. Not a lot of people will talk about Stephen Denmark.
Not a surprise. There are plenty of reasons why. He was their final pick which came deep into the 7th round. He also comes from Valdosta State, a school that has only produce four previous players drafted in its history. That doesn’t mean it has no reputation.
After all the school has produced some good NFL players before. None bigger than former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jessie Tuggle, a five-time Pro Bowler. Tuggle was undrafted. So the program has delivered surprises in the past. Can Denmark be the next one?
Bears GM Ryan Pace seems to this so.
Ryan Pace thinks Stephen Denmark has untouchable upside
Pace is a man who usually offers praise in measured bunches. He’ll say he’s excited about this player or that but tends to stay away from the more flamboyant adjectives. Yet even he couldn’t avoid using when describing why the Bears targeted Denmark after the draft.
“Stephen Denmark of Valdosta State with our final 7th round pick. Has ridiculous measurables. A guy that we went down and worked out privately. Relatively new to the position. Only one year at corner after switching from receiver.
So a guy we feel has tremendous upside ahead of him. A guy that both our defensive coaches, our special teams coaches, and our scouts were equally excited about. Just working with that upside and the talent that he has.”
Denmark is 6’3, for starters. Quite big for a cornerback. Add in the fact he ran a 4.46 at his pro day with a 43.5-inch vertical jump? It’s not hard to understand why Pace and the scouts became fascinated by him. This sort of size-athleticism combination is rare.
Add in the fact Denmark only switched to corner from wide receiver last year and still managed to snag three interceptions. It’s proof that playing the position comes naturally to him.
Now, of course, his tape is wildly inconsistent.
There are rough moments that don’t show up in the highlights. He clearly lacks comfort in trusting his eyes when not in press coverage and his footwork is all over the place. This can lead to him giving up a number of chunk plays. That said, his upside is impossible to ignore. Here’s what a national scout had to say about him before the draft.
“His size and workout numbers are the rarest I’ve ever seen at cornerback and I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
The Bears also know who they’re giving Denmark to. Chuck Pagano is not only a respected defensive coordinator and former head coach. He also has a deep background as a defensive backs coach. He routinely developed quality players at both cornerback and safety during his stints in college and the NFL.
Not to mention his new right hand man in secondary coach Deshea Townsend. A former cornerback who had to work his way up the depth chart as a later round pick during his career. Denmark is in good hands.