When discussing the greatest eras of Chicago Bears football, they all have an origin story. They began with one great draft. The 1940s dynasty was set up by the 1939 draft class led by Sid Luckman and Bill Osmanski. Their 1963 championship team kicked into high gear when Mike Ditka and Mike Pyle arrived in 1961. Of course, everybody remembers the 1983 draft with Hall of Famers Jimbo Covert and Richard Dent. Last but not least was the 2003 class spearheaded by Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs.
Great drafts lead to extended eras of winning. Unfortunately, the same is true for terrible drafts. When looking at the worst eras of Bears football in the past several decades, it's not hard to trace them to specific drafts that somehow went wrong at almost every turn.
The Chicago Bears have had some truly bad drafts.
#6: The 2012 class
Shea McClellin, EDGE, Boise State
Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
Brandon Hardin, S, Oregon State
Evan Rodriguez, TE, Temple
Isaiah Frey, CB, Nevada
Greg McCoy, CB, TCU
Phil Emery's first draft turned out to be a portent of things to come. It was clear right away the man did a poor job of marrying talent to scheme. McClellin was a terrible fit for Lovie Smith's defense. Taking him over Chandler Jones remains one of the most mind-boggling decisions a Bears GM has ever made. Jeffery is the only reason this class isn't higher on the list. His 2013 and 2014 seasons were excellent, but his less-than-gracious exit in 2017 left a sour taste in lots of peoples' mouths. Hardin was a walking M*A*S*H unit. Rodriguez, Frey, and McCoy couldn't even last a season. That draft accelerated the decline of a team that was in the NFC championship only two years before.
#5: The 1988 class
Brad Muster, RB, Stanford
Wendell Davis, WR, LSU
Dante Jones, LB, Oklahoma
Ralph Jarvis, DE, Temple
James Thornton, TE, Cal State-Fullerton
Troy Johnson, LB, Oklahoma
Lemuel Stinson, DB, Texas Tech
Caesar Rentie, T, Oklahoma
David Tate, DB, Colorado
Harvey Reed, RB, Howard
Rogie Magee, WR, LSU
Joel Porter, G, Baylor
Steve Forch, LB, Nebraska
Greg Clark, LB, Arizona St.
The Bears had a golden opportunity to set themselves up for a bright future with two picks in the 1st round. Muster and Davis weren't terrible players, but they also didn't have careers that were anything noteworthy. Muster moved to fullback after one season. It's made even worse knowing Thurman Thomas was available at that pick. Davis saw his career ruined by injuries. Everybody else added in that class was completely inconsequential. One can't help but wonder if the team might've had better results in the NFC championship later that same year if they'd landed anybody significant.
#4: The 2001 class
David Terrell, WR, Michigan
Anthony Thomas, RB, Michigan
Mike Gandy, T, Notre Dame
Karon Riley, LB, Minnesota
Bernard Robertson, T, Tulane
John Capel, DB, Northwestern St.
The 2001 draft could've built so much momentum for the Bears. They'd landed Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown the year before. Landing two good players in this class would've set them up for sustained success. Instead, Terrell became a bust at receiver. Keep in mind Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne were still on the board. Thomas won Rookie of the Year, which was terrific. However, injuries quickly began slowing him down after the first three seasons. Gandy was a serviceable blocker but never stood out. Outside of that, it was mostly nothing. That draft likely delayed the Bears' ascent in the NFC by three years.
#3: The 1995 class
Rashaan Salaam, RB, Colorado
Pat Riley, DE, Miami (FL)
Todd Sauerbrun, P, West Virginia
Sean Harris, LB, Arizona
Evan Pilgrim, G, BYU
Jack Jackson, WR, Florida
Kenny Gales, DB, Wisconsin
Carl Reeves, DE, North Carolina St.
Jamal Cox, LB, Georgia Tech
The Chicago Bears had made the playoffs in 1994. It seemed like they had the makings of a good team, especially on offense with Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham. They went into the next season hoping to balance things out with help at running back. It felt like they lucked out when Heisman-winner Rashaan Salaam fell to them at 21st overall. It somehow wasn't a red flag that four running backs went ahead of him. They soon learned why. Salaam had fumbling problems, struggled to create his own yards, and dabbled in drug use. He also couldn't stay healthy. Riley was a complete bust. Sauerbrun did become a Pro Bowler, but that was after leaving Chicago. The Bears went 9-7 again that year, but it proved to be their peak.
#2: The 1991 class
Stan Thomas, T, Texas
Chris Zorich, DT, Notre Dame
Chris Gardocki, P, Clemson
Joe Johnson, DB, North Carolina St.
Anthony Morgan, WR, Tennessee
Darren Lewis, RB, Texas A&M
Paul Justin, QB, Arizona St.
Larry Horton, DB, Texas A&M
Mike Stonebreaker, LB, Notre Dame
Tom Backes, DE, Oklahoma
Stacy Long, G, Clemson
John Cook, DT, Washington
There is always that one draft that sets the tone for whether a decade will be good or bad. The miserable years of the 1990s can be traced to what happened in 1991. It is never a great sign when the head coach and front office are at odds over a player. Mike Ditka wanted no part of Stan Thomas in the 1st round. Michael McCaskey and management took him anyway. It was a disaster. The guy only started seven games and had maturity issues from the outset. It hurts even more knowing Brett Favre went a handful of picks later. Zorich had a couple of decent years. Gardocki was a disappointment, then left for Indianapolis and became an All-Pro. Everybody else was completely inconsequential.
#1: The 1970 class
George Farmer, WR, UCLA
Lynn Larson, T, Kansas St.
Ross Brupbacher, LB, Texas A&M
Bobby Cutburth, QB, Oklahoma St.
Jeff Curchin, T, Florida St.
Dana Stephenson, DB, Nebraska
Linzy Cole, WR, TCU
Glen Holloway, G, North Texas
Ted Rose, TE, Northern Michigan
Butch Davis, DB, Missouri
Jimmy Gunn, LB, USC
Jim Morgan, WR, Henderson St.
Phil Abraira,DB,Florida St.
Bob Helterbran,G,North Texas
Joe Brunson, DT, Furman
Context is key here. This draft didn't have to be bad, yet the Chicago Bears made it that way. Everybody remembers the lead-up to this. The Bears lost a coin toss with Pittsburgh for the #1 pick. The Steelers get quarterback Terry Bradshaw. That was rotten luck. However, people forget management made it worse by trading the #2 pick to Green Bay for Lee Roy Caffey, Elijah Pitts, and Bob Hyland. None of those players wore a Bears uniform beyond the 1970 season. That means they traded the pick for basically nothing. The 2nd round pick was also traded to Dallas for Craig Baynham and Phil Clark. Both also didn't play for Chicago beyond 1970.
It should be noted nine Pro Bowlers were drafted between those two picks. As for the draft class itself? Only Farmer lasted more than four seasons with the team and didn't do much during that time.
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