NFL Draft: Chicago Bears Team Draft Retrospective
Published by Tameem Hasan on April 21, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
This article is part of a series that looks at each NFL team’s recent draft history, with the hope of extracting information about the way they think and the players they value. The analysis is limited to the past five drafts in the interest of relevance, and the first three rounds because that’s where most impact players are taken.
This entry will focus on the Chicago Bears.
DRAFT HISTORY
In the past five years, the Bears have taken the following players in the early rounds. Their positions and the rounds in which they were drafted are listed next to their names.
2006: Danieal Manning, S (2)
Devin Hester, CB (2)
Dusty Dvoracek, DT (3)
2007: Greg Olsen, TE (1)
Dan Bazuin, DE (2)
Garrett Wolfe, RB (3)
Michael Okwo, LB (3)
2008: Chris Williams, OT (1)
Matt Forte, RB (2)
Earl Bennett, WR (3)
Marcus Harrison, DT (3)
2009: Jarron Gilbert, DT (3)
Juaquin Iglesias, CB (3)
2010: Major Wright, S (3)
BREAKDOWN BY POSITION
Here is the number of players the Bears have drafted for each position:
Defensive tackle: 3
Cornerback: 2
Running Back: 2
Safety: 2
Defensive End: 1
Linebacker: 1
Offensive tackle: 1
Tight End: 1
Wide Receiver: 1
IMPACT
Danieal Manning is valuable for his versatility, having played at cornerback, safety, and special teams. Devin Hester is one of the greatest kick returners of all time. Greg Olsen is one of the better pass catching tight ends in the game. Matt Forte is a very good back who can also help the passing game.
TRENDS
The Bears have had to make do without a first rounder for three of these five drafts. In the past two drafts, they haven’t picked until the third round. Much like the Redskins, the Bears have shown an affinity for big name veterans, and a willingness to part with high draft picks in order to get them.
When they have picked, they’ve shown a preference for the interior defensive line and the secondary. Interestingly, both areas have been fairly strong for the Bears despite none of these picks having overly impressive careers. On a similar note, they’ve largely overlooked defensive end and linebacker, but those areas are still fairly strong thanks to Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.
On offense, they’ve largely neglected their offensive line and receiving corps, and it shows. Quarterback and prized acquisition Jay Cutler has struggled as a Bear because of horrific pass protection and a shortage of reliable targets.
2011 OUTLOOK
There’s no question what the Bears’ biggest area of weakness is: they absolutely need to fix the offensive line. Even with a great defense, it’s hard to imagine them ever being a serious Super Bowl contender if they can’t keep Jay Cutler upright.
As it happens, there are at least five first round quality OTs in this draft. The Bears pick too late to really choose among them, but at least one of those linemen should be available for when the Bears pick. If they have the chance to land someone like Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State), Nate Solder (Colorado) or Ben Ijalana (Villanova), they cannot pass.
The second and third rounds are good times to look for a defensive tackle to replace Tommie Harris. Drake Nevis (LSU) could be a real steal at the end of round two.
WR is also a major concern. Johnny Knox is pretty good, but he’s not a legitimate No. 1 receiver. The Bears will take a hard look at the likes of Torrey Smith (Maryland), Leonard Hankerson (Miami) and Titus Young (Boise State).
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