Two Chicago Bears Ranked Among Best Week 1 Rookie Performers
The Chicago Bears lost their 11th straight game dating back to last season on Sunday. It was also their seventh consecutive loss to the Green Bay Packers. So, one can understand if fans weren’t in the mood to look at possible bright spots from the game. There were some, though. Yannick Ngakoue was an immediate factor as a pass rusher. Darnell Mooney looked healthy. D.J. Moore was open frequently. Roschon Johnson was a load to bring down at running back. It might not have been what anybody wanted to hear, but it was something.
The most encouraging thing was the performance of some of their rookies. Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus listed the 15 rookies with the highest grades from the first week of action. Two Bears cracked the list.
“10. DI ZACCH PICKENS, CHICAGO BEARS: 75.6
While Pickens played just a limited role during the Bears’ Week 1 loss to the Packers, he comes away as one of the highest-graded rookies in the NFL. Pickens may have been a non-factor in the pass rush, but he graded positively on 28.6% of his run-defense snaps without a single negative grade.
15. DARNELL WRIGHT, CHICAGO BEARS: 72.1
Wright, the 10th pick in this year’s draft, is the second Bears rookie to make this list. He may not have had the cleanest box score, as he allowed five hurries on 52 pass-blocking snaps and graded negatively on 14.3% of his run-blocking snaps. However, he did show some strength as an inside-zone blocker, earning a positive grade on 37.5% of his plays in these concepts.”
People shouldn’t overlook how important this is.
One of the biggest knocks on Pickens was his bad run defense at South Carolina. To see he’s made this much progress already is a great sign. The same goes for Wright. Run-blocking was a concern with him coming out of Tennessee. It appears he made some good adjustments. Pickens only rushed the QB five times. He didn’t get many opportunities. As to Wright’s protection? Here’s an interesting tidbit. The Bears asked him to block one-on-one 27 times in that game. He gave up three pressures. For context, Mike McGlinchey, the pricey free agent everybody wanted the Bears to sign, gave up three on 14 one-on-one blocks.
The Chicago Bears should be encouraged by this development.
Building through the trenches is something they haven’t done well for years. Part of that is not investing enough draft resources into them. GM Ryan Poles is working hard to change that. Wright is the 10th overall pick in the 2023 class. Pickens was a 3rd rounder. Ryan Pace drafted a lineman in the first three rounds five times in seven drafts. Poles did it three times in just the 2023 draft alone. This doesn’t include the five he selected last year or 7th round pick Travis Bell this year. It’s clear this regime is committed to upgrading the trenches.
While these performances by Wright and Pickens weren’t perfect, it was a sign that they have the talent necessary to impact Sundays. They don’t have the polish yet. That will come as the season progresses. There is no greater teacher than playing experience. Head coach Matt Eberflus and his staff are committed to developing them the right way. It appears those efforts are bearing fruit.