Most of the credit and criticism for NFL drafts always go to the general manager. Such is the nature of the position as the highest paid man in the front office. However, it’s also an erroneous assumption. Ryan Pace may be in charge of the Chicago Bears, but he relies on a lot of people around him to know what they’re doing to from scouts to personnel executives.

It’s a team from top to bottom. The more good people it has, the better it does. That is why fans should get to know these executives as much as they do the coaches and players because they’re every bit as important. A perfect example is recent hire Joe Douglas. Formerly the national scout of the Baltimore Ravens, he will take over as the director of college scouting. The buzz on him is lots of positive.

Joe Douglas (new director of college scouting for the Bears) is one of the best talent evaluators I've ever been around. — Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) May 15, 2015

Indeed the track record for the man paints an impressive trail. Every player listed below was taken in the area Douglas was in charge of at the time. Their names on the list if they started at least two seasons in the NFL and those with an asterisk next to their names went to at least one Pro Bowl.

2003-2007: Northeast and Offensive Line Scout

Tony Pashos

Jason Brown

Chris Chester

Ben Grubbs*

Marshal Yanda*

2008: East Coast Scout

Joe Flacco

Ray Rice*

2009-2011: Southeast Scout

Michael Oher

Lardarius Webb

Terrence Cody

Jah Reid

Pernell McPhee

If that weren’t enough, Douglas was reported to have a strong hand in the acquisition of undrafted free agents. His hit rate on that front is almost as good as his assists in the draft.

Jameel McClain

Dannell Ellerbe

Albert McClellan

Justin Tucker*

Bobby Rainey

Marlon Brown

James Hurst

Zach Orr

So, taking a step back what does all of this mean. It’s not just the fact that Joe Douglas has an eye for talent. That alone is obvious based on the hits, many of whom were direct contributors to the Ravens Super Bowl title in 2012.

Now take a look again and see what really starts to stick out. Observe the schools involved. Delaware? Nicholls State? Syracuse? Rutgers? A lot of these schools aren’t normally considered hotbeds for NFL talent, which means Douglas is a guy who never leaves a stone unturned.

That was one of the things New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said about Ryan Pace when he was still with the team. He never stopped looking for a player who could help them get better. The fact that Pace has found others like him and begun to fill the Chicago Bears front office with them can only lead to good things moving forward.