Even amidst a rough start to the season, the Chicago Bears are seeing something exciting. The steady progression of their new young roster.

Specifically the players either drafted or signed as undrafted free agents by GM Ryan Pace. He said his top priority from the moment of taking over was to build his roster through the college ranks. It sounded nice in theory but other GMs have said the same thing. Pace though hasn’t shied away from his convictions. He cut or traded several notable veterans including Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett.

In the space of a calendar year he turned the oldest roster in the NFL into one of the 10 youngest. The question hasn’t changed though. Are any of his moves bearing early fruit? Here is a rundown so far.

The Drafts

2015:

WR Kevin White (starting but injured)

DT Eddie Goldman (starting but injured)

C Hroniss Grasu (on IR)

RB Jeremy Langford (lost starting job and injured)

S Adriam Amos (starting)

OT Tayo Fabuluje (no longer on team)

2016:

LB Leonard Floyd (starting)

OG Cody Whitehair (starting)

DE Jonathan Bullard (rotational player but injured)

LB Nick Kwiatkoski (rotational player)

S Deon Bush (bench)

CB Deiondre Hall (rotational player)

RB Jordan Howard (starting)

S DeAndre Houston-Carson (special teams)

WR Daniel Braverman (practice squad)

So looking back over the two draft classes that Pace has put together thus far he’s found six starters and three others who are contributing regularly at their positions. Injuries have played a tough part in the progress of some, specifically Kevin White and Eddie Goldman. Both looked really good and primed for breakouts prior to their respective ankle problems. Cody Whitehair has already established himself as a quality center and should only get better. Jordan Howard ran for 111 yards in his first start.

So while there were some setbacks and misses, that’s nothing new in the draft. All told so far Pace has done a fairly decent job finding good players at different positions. The one criticism that could be directed at him is so far he hasn’t been able to find a “star.” In other words somebody whom can be considered a vital part of the new core. There are a few with that potential, but until that changes this roster is still lacking something.