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LAKE FOREST Richard Dent Jerseys Stitched , Ill. (AP) quarterback Mitchell Trubisky probably would still be holding a clipboard. The No. 2 overall draft pick got thrust into the starting lineup sooner than anticipated. And with that, the adjustment accelerated, the learning curve ramped up, a few gears. Though the results so far are mixed, there is hope for him – and the franchise, too. The Bears (3-5) hit their bye and the halfway mark of the season showing signs they’re starting to head in the right direction, though they are last in the NFC North. They have matched their win total from last year’s 3-13 nightmare, and their defense is starting to pile up the takeaways. Chicago has 11 on the season, eight in the past three games. The Bears put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015 before a tight loss to Drew Brees and the NFC South-leading Saints at New Orleans last week. But as promising as that sounds, the Bears’ long-term success largely hinges on their prized quarterback’s development. With his arm strength and quickness, Trubisky gives Chicago hope, though he is far from a finished product. ”I just need to be more efficient and continue to take care of the football, but be aggressive at the same time,” Trubisky said. ”I need to make more plays for this offense while playing within the offense and being myself and continuing to be a leader. We need to score more points. You’ve seen us moving the ball and we just have to continue to not make mistakes and finish with points.” In the four games since he took over for the struggling Mike Glennon Tom Waddle Jerseys Stitched , Trubisky has completed 38 of 80 passes for 512 yards with a 66.2 rating. He has been sacked 11 times and has as many touchdown passes (two) as interceptions. He got picked off trying to hit tight end Zach Miller late in his debut against Minnesota, leading to a winning field goal for the Vikings. Against New Orleans, an apparent miscommunication with Tre McBride led to another interception that sealed the Saints’ win. But there have been those tantalizing flashes, like a 27-yard on-the-run touchdown pass to Dion Sims against Baltimore. And a 70-yard completion to Tarik Cohen against Carolina in an otherwise quiet game. Trubisky also has 110 yards rushing. ”When my feet are right and my eyes are right, I’m on the money,” he said. ”But when I change up or do the wrong footwork or my base isn’t good because of the rush in the pocket, that’s usually when the inaccuracies come.” A decimated corps of wide receivers, Miller’s career-threatening leg injury against New Orleans, and a banged-up line add to the difficulties. Trubisky wasn’t even supposed to be the starter, of course. The Bears opened the season with Glennon as their No. 1 quarterback, thinking Trubisky would basically redshirt. After all, he started just 13 games at North Carolina. But Glennon struggled, so the Bears made the switch following a blowout loss at Green Bay in Week 4. ”You’ve got to trust your feet and trust your eyes,” veteran backup Mark Sanchez said. That trust comes with developing a familiarity with the system, timing with receivers William Perry Jerseys Stitched , and knowing what works against certain defenses. ”He’s doing a lot of this for the first time,” Sanchez said. ”If you think about it as a defensive coordinator, these guys stay up all night and they try to wreck your day on Sunday. These guys aren’t knuckleheads. They know what the hell they’re doing.” Most encouraging to quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone are Trubisky’s work ethic, instincts and understanding of the game. They stand out more than the spotty completion percentage. Ragone sees a quarterback with an unflinching demeanor who learns from his mistakes. One who can point out what works and doesn’t work when he looks at the video.A guy who understands when to throw the ball away rather than force a pass. And who knows how to connect with his teammates. ”I think his football IQ, in terms of the feel of the game, he’s a really good feel player,” Ragone said. ”He’s done this multiple times. He’ll leave (offensive coordinator Dowell) Loggains’ and my side and go talk to his teammates. That’s not forced. That’s leadership. He’s got an innate ability of when to do that, and all those things kind of add together in terms of the makeup of a quarterback. Things that don’t go on a stat line. ”But as you’re sitting there and you’re truly judging a player and the totality of who he is and what he needs to do – or who he is to his teammates – in my opinion he’s done a great job of understanding how to push, how to pull on his teammates. And they’ve obviously responded to him.” — How might the Bears’ rookies fare statistically this year?" From The Desk Of...NFL DraftRoster AnalysisPredicting stat lines for Bears rookies in 2019New,32commentsHow might the Bears’ rookies fare statistically this year?CDTSince becoming the Bears’ general manager in 2015, Ryan Pace has made some magic in the middle of the draft. He’ll have to rely solely on that history with his 2019 draft class.The Bears didn’t pick until the No. 73 selection—a spot they had to move up 14 slots to get to—but they still came away with some quality talent. A handful of their picks could end up making an immediate impact, even with their having one of the most talented rosters in the league.A lot can change between now and the end of the 2019 season, and injuries to players are almost impossible to predict. However, snap counts, individual workloads and overall production can be estimated to varying degrees of success. Let’s take a look at how the Bears’ draft picks could end up doing in their rookie seasons.David MontgomeryThough the depth chart for the Bears’ running back position is unknown Youth Cody Parkey Jerseys , it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that David Montgomery will play a big role in their offense pretty quickly.A near-perfect fit in Chicago’s West Coast, zone-blocking offense, the rookie was one of the best collegiate running backs in the nation last year for his intelligence, contact balance, lateral agility and pass-catching skills out of the backfield. Whether he starts the year as the team’s starter remains to be seen, but at the very least, he figures to take over the role early in the season.Prediction: 16 games and 13 starts, 198 carries for 913 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, 37 catches for 286 receiving yards and three receiving touchdownsRiley RidleyA luxury pick for a team that didn’t have any pressing needs, Riley Ridley gives the Bears a potential starter at the ‘Z’ receiver position down the line. This year, though, it might be tough for him to get signicant snaps.With Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller on the roster, Chicago’s starting receivers are essentially locked into place. They also have the likes of Cordarrelle Patterson, Javon Wims Cody Parkey Jerseys Stitched , Marvin Hall and Emanuel Hall on the roster. That said, though, Ridley is a fantastic route runner with good size, so he should have some role in 2019. He could end up starting a few games this season if Robinson or Gabriel get hurt, but don’t expect him to have a fantastic rookie year.Prediction: 14 games and three starts, 21 catches for 227 receiving yards and one touchdownDuke ShelleyDuke Shelley may have been an under-the-radar pick in the sixth round, but he could end up being a contributor pretty quickly for the Bears.Though they signed Buster Skrine in free agency, he’s 30 years old and has had some penalty issues in recent years. He will presumably start the year as the Bears’ starting nickelback, but Shelley has the athleticism and ball-hawking instincts to be a playmaker at the position. If Skrine ends up getting hurt this year, don’t be surprised if the rookie uses his time in the limelight to steal a starting role.Prediction: 15 games and seven starts, 29 total tackles, one sack, one interception, five pass deflectionsKerrith Whyte Jr.The Bears added some more depth to their backfield in Kerrith Whyte Jr., and while he faces tall odds to be a regular contributor Youth Trey Burton Jerseys , he could still see some time on the field in his rookie year.Whyte is a speedy and powerful runner whose explosiveness will be helpful in the Bears’ offense. Expect him to play a role similar to that of Taquan Mizzell last season, in that he sees a few snaps on offense and special teams, but is used sparingly for the most part. The rookie projects to be better than Mizzell, so he could be in for a few more touches than his veteran counterpart got in 2018.Prediction: 10 games, 22 carries for 98 yards, four catches for 39 yards, five kick returns for 114 yardsStephen DenmarkUsing a seventh-round pick on a player like Stephen Denmark is a low-risk, high-reward move. Though he’s incredibly raw and won’t be able to make an impact right away, he has the physical tools that coaches love at the defensive back position.The Bears could use some depth in their secondary, but Denmark is unlikely to provide it in his rookie year. Since his size and speed would make him a hot commodity for other teams if he were placed onto the Bears’ practice squad, expect them to keep him on their 53-man roster but keep him inactive on most game days.Prediction: Three games, two tackles