Matt Nagy wore an energized smile Saturday night, like a kid bounding down the exit path of Goliath at Great America. For the first time in his football life, Nagy had experienced the NFL draft from the front car, fully immersed in the anticipation and anxiety and exhilaration.

When the 48-hour ride was over, the new Bears coach spoke with wide eyes. He could still feel his blood pumping and was eager to share the experience.

The first-timer excitement in his recap was undeniable.

“It’s the unknown of literally up to the minute or second for these picks and what’s going to happen,” Nagy said, his voice picking up speed. “And just when you think you’re in a good spot, all of a sudden there’s a trade, for example. You know? And now it’s the excitement and the unknown of, ‘Oh, no, they’re going to get our guy.’ And then they don’t. And then it’s a bunch of high-fives and fist bumps and all that.

“So for me, I try to go in it with the happy-go-lucky attitude. If (something) doesn’t happen, if there is a guy there or scenario there that doesn’t play out, it wasn’t meant to be. Let’s move on, right? It wasn’t meant to be. And you stay optimistic.”

Just as notable: With the draft’s adrenaline rush over, Nagy was racing to the next ride, excited to begin what he was brought here to do.

“Now,” he said, “we can go out and start doing the X’s and O’s part.”

Now comes the challenging part. And the fun part. Nagy must take the roster general manager Ryan Pace has strengthened in recent months and work to free the Bears from the last-place shackles they’ve worn since 2014.

There’s no doubt the Bears have made improvements since January, starting with Nagy’s arrival and ending with this weekend’s seven-player draft haul. Pace’s fourth Bears draft class — three players on offense, four on defense — seems promising enough.

It is particularly so with what the Bears collected in the first two rounds, grabbing inside linebacker Roquan Smith, offensive lineman James Daniels and receiver Anthony Miller.

It’s been impossible to find much dissent in the selection of Smith at No. 8. Last year’s Butkus Award winner and SEC Defensive Player of the Year is as intelligent as he is tenacious.

And Nagy gushed Saturday night when talking about what Smith will bring to an already strong defense. Nagy lauded Smith’s passion and maturity. He envisions the young linebacker as a three-down playmaker, a matchup piece in coverage and a presence against the run.

“Everyone talks about (Roquan going) sideline to sideline,” Nagy said. “But he is violent when he hits you.”

Nagy seemed equally energized by the arrival of Miller, an aggressive playmaker whose competitive fire and drive complement his athleticism. The Bears have fallen in love with Miller’s climb — from unheralded walk-on to the all-time leading receiver in Memphis in history.

They’re equally smitten with the verve it has given Miller.

“Anybody who knows his story knows that he has every right to have that confidence,” Nagy said.

That Miller is one of six new pass catchers the Bears have added since March — a group that also includes Allen Robinson, Trey Burton, Taylor Gabriel, Bennie Fowler and Javon Wims — feels significant.

Suddenly, the days of Mitch Trubisky slinging passes to Josh Bellamy and Markus Wheaton seem like a distant memory.

And that certainly contributes to the eagerness Nagy has to start turning his team loose on the field.

“My whiteboard upstairs is starting to get kind of busy,” Nagy said. “And it gets busy with circles. Now it can start getting busy with names.”

Drawing definitive conclusions on a draft class right after it is formed remains one of the NFL’s hardest-to-avoid traps.

But Pace, at least, showed appropriate awareness on that front Saturday night. He has lived through 34 losses in three seasons in Chicago and understands the improvements the Bears have made to this point in 2018 are all relative.

Pace called these last four months “a blur,” a proper description to summarize January’s coaching search, March’s free-agency frenzy and another grueling draft process.

“But I feel so good right now,” Pace said. “The whole building is energized. There’s just such a positive vibe around here.”

To his right, Nagy was nodding, pumped to take that vibe plus his new roster and do something with it. His eagerness for the next steps was obvious.

dwiederer@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @danwiederer