Chicago Bears History With Top 5 Picks Is Revealing
By Erik Lambert
Recent revelations show the Chicago Bears are currently slated to hold the 5th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. What’s to learn about that?
First and foremost is the fact that it would be the highest selection the organization has had in 12 years. They held the 4th overall pick in 2005. At 1-4 the Bears are sitting in what should be an easy part of their schedule. They’ve played two struggling teams already in the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. Next up will be the Jacksonville Jaguars. So far they’ve managed a 1-1 record in that stretch. Not exactly the mark of a top NFL team.
The schedule won’t be much better looking ahead. Green Bay and Minnesota will finish up their first half before the bye week. There’s a good chance they could be 1-7 by the break. At that point all eyes in the organization will be turning towards 2017. Except possibly for head coach John Fox who knows his job may be called into question if he doesn’t win at least a few more games.
Meanwhile GM Ryan Pace may be faced with the most important draft pick of his tenure in Chicago. So far fans are less than enthused with his recent batch of 1st rounders.
The #Bears are placing WR Kevin White on Injured Reserve with a high-ankle sprain and fracture. Eligible to return in 8 weeks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2016
#Bears 2016 top draft pick Leonard Floyd, who was not able to complete the #Lions game because of a calf injury, has not practiced since.
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) October 6, 2016
Even as other picks show signs of immense promise, everybody knows building a good team is hard without hitting in the 1st round. Presuming the Bears do end up with a top five pick as current estimates say, here is their history throughout the modern Super Bowl era.
- 1972: Lionel Antoine (OT, 3rd overall)
- 1974: Waymond Bryant (LB, 4th overall)
- 1975: Walter Payton (RB, 4th overall)
- 1979: Dan Hampton (DL, 4th overall)
- 1982: Jim McMahon (QB, 5th overall)
- 1998: Curtis Enis (RB, 5th overall)
- 2005: Cedric Benson (RB, 4th overall)
Not the most inspiring list. Of course Payton and Hampton are the headliners. Both ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Aside from them though the list gets rather disappointing. Antoine was a marginal blocker for three years. Bryant suffered through bouts of injury and ineffectiveness. McMahon had one really good season while leading the team to a Super Bowl title in 1985 but also could never stay healthy. Enis and Benson were both monumental busts.
That is the run of uninspiring history Pace is going against. Top five picks are supposed to be players who can turn franchises around. They should be the superstars of a class. Yet somehow Chicago finds a way to mess it up. Some might say it’s a bad eye for talent. Others will say it’s a lack of proper effort. Maybe it’s just bad luck. Either way 2017 may very well be the defining year for another decade of Bears football.
No pressure.