If there is any solace to be taken away from the 2016 season, it's knowing that the Green Bay Packers collapsed in another NFC championship game. Their incredible run of winning just two Super Bowls with arguably two of the greatest quarterbacks ever goes on. That being said, there may yet be something that puts a fly in that lotion. It has to do with
Chicago Bears draft picks.
That's an unusual statement to make isn't it? After all the draft isn't until late April. Months away. How can that have any sort of emotional impact on Bears fans at this point? Simply by stating this unavoidable fact nobody wants to hear.
Shea McClellin is going to the Super Bowl.
https://twitter.com/ZachZaidman/status/823353449437917185
That's right. The former first round pick of the Bears in 2012, the one whose lone career highlight was breaking Aaron Rodgers' collarbone, who looked totally lost for most of his four years in town, will have a shot at a ring. The fact that it's happening his first year away from Chicago makes it sting even more.
It also raises another question. How many other former Bears draft picks managed to get a ring only after leaving the Bears?
To answer this, one must comb through every draft class Chicago has put together since 1986, the first year after their last championship season. Here is the rundown of names who managed to find their greatest career success elsewhere.
Tim Jessie (11th round, RB, 1987)
Played three games in 1987 for the Redskins. Qualified him for a ring. Was out of the league after that.
John Roper (2nd Round, LB, 1989)
Bounced around in 1993 and logged three games with the Dallas Cowboys. Didn’t play another season.
Ron Cox (2nd Round, LB, 1990)
Spent only one year away from Chicago. That was in 1996 when he got a ring with the Packers.
Chris Gardocki (3rd Round, P, 1991)
Left Chicago in 1995. Played 12 more seasons, winning a ring with Pittsburgh in 2005. His second-to-last.
Anthony Morgan (5th Round, WR, 1991)
Bears moved on from him in the middle of 1993. Joined the Packers and was on their 1996 team.
Paul Justin (7th Round, QB, 1991)
Cut by the Bears as a rookie but became a backup for five seasons. Last was with the Rams in 1999.
Russell Davis (2nd Round, DL, 1999)
Played one season in Chicago. His final one was in 2007 as a reserve with the New York Giants.
Rosevelt Colvin (4th Round, LB, 1999)
Wasn’t re-signed despite 21 between 2001 and 2002. Joined the Patriots and won back-to-back titles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4MMSmksLeI
Bryan Fletcher (6th Round, TE, 2002)
Didn’t make the Bears roster. Latched on with the Colts and got sweet revenge in 2006.
Corey Graham (5th Round, DB, 2007)
Wasn’t being given chance to start in Chicago, so he left for Baltimore in 2012. Immediately won a title.
Kellen Davis (5th Round, TE, 2008)
Spent five uneven years with the Bears before joining Seattle on their 2013 run. Was his only year there.
A few things stand out about this list. For starters, how about that 1991 crop? Three players from the same draft class all go on with win a championship elsewhere. Honestly though, this group of 11 players may seem extensive. Keep this in mind though. It's out of 273 total and spans from 1986 to 2014. That's a 28-year timeline. If anything it perfectly reflects how poorly the Bears have drafted over that span. To say nothing of the fact that nobody has done so since 2008.
McClellin has a chance to be the next one.
https://twitter.com/CowboysGifs/status/812162446739705856
It's an indictment of how out of touch the Bears have been in both the draft room and on the sidelines with the coaching staff. Bill Belichick turned Shea into a decent contributor on his first attempt. It's deflating and infuriating all at the same time. Before long history will be able to field a 53-man roster of former Chicago Bears who won championships elsewhere while fans keep waiting for this team to win another.
This is the trend Ryan Pace is trying like hell to fix. No doubt 2017 will present the biggest evidence to date on whether he's succeeding. Hopefully so. The last thing Bears fans would be able to stomach is seeing
Kyle Fuller hoisting a Lombardi elsewhere in the next couple years.
