The Chicago Bears and Importance of The One-Year-Later Drafts
By Erik Lambert
Something that people often overlook is the importance of the One Year Later draft. For Chicago Bears fans who might not understand, it’s as follows.
These are the drafts that follow the one which brought in a potential franchise quarterback, typically in the 1st round. The “OYL” draft often can be overlooked in so many ways because it doesn’t have the same climactic moment, but its importance can’t be understated. This is typically the draft that sets the tone for what’s to come. The draft that will determine how long it takes that young quarterback to become a success, or even if he’ll be a success at all.
People wonder why Jared Goff was able to make such a substantial jump in Year Two? That’s because the Rams did a superb job managing the 2017 draft. They added two offensive playmakers in Cooper Kupp and Gerald Everett while finding a quality safety for the defense in John Johnson. That helped Goff to go from hard luck rookie to Pro Bowler. Now the Bears are trying to do the same with Mitch Trubisky.
History shows that good things tend to happen for the Bears when they’re able to hit on the “OYL” draft. Just look at each of their 1st round QBs during the Super Bowl era.
Jim McMahon: The 1983 draft
“The Punky QB” was selected 5th overall in the 1982 draft during the strike-shortened season. Going into 1983 the Bears were set up pretty well including two picks in the 1st round. GM Jim Finks then proceeded to paint what would end up being his masterpiece, and also his final draft in charge. To this day it’s still the best draft of the Super Bowl era for Chicago.
In they would score seven future starters and four Pro Bowlers including Jimbo Covert, Dave Duerson, Mark Bortz, and eventual Hall of Famer Richard Dent. That’s not even counting Willie Gault and Tom Thayer who became vital pieces of the offense over the next few years as well. Chicago would ride McMahon and that draft to a Super Bowl title in 1985.
Jim Harbaugh: The 1988 draft
He wasn’t the designated starter but it was apparent with his selection in 1987 that he would be sooner or later. The Bears had an aging roster at the time so they needed to have a good draft in order to ensure Harbaugh could carry them into the 1990s. All told they failed in that mission. They were able to find a couple decent starters in Brad Muster and Wendell Davis but no true impact players. This ended up costing Harbaugh in the long run. He led the Bears to two playoff appearances but could do nothing against the stronger teams in the postseason.
Cade McNown: The 2000 draft
This scenario was largely rendered void because McNown proved to be an awful quarterback. If that weren’t the case then the Bears absolutely would’ve nailed their mission to follow up his selection with a strong draft in 2000. It was headlined by a two-headed monster. The first was 9th overall pick and future superstar Brian Urlacher who is now on the cusp of entering the Hall of Fame. The other was playmaking safety Mike Brown who became a Pro Bowler for them over a seven-year span. That draft helped Chicago reach the playoffs in 2001 but problems at quarterback prevented them from doing anything once they got there.
Rex Grossman: The 2004 draft
The 2003 draft was far more than just the acquisition of Grossman at quarterback. That was also the year Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman arrived in Chicago as well. That said the Bears still weren’t quite ready to take that next step. They needed another infusion of talent in 2004 to bring it all together. While it wasn’t a homerun draft, it was a good one.
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The Bears would make four solid picks in this class, headlined by their 1st rounder Tommie Harris who would become a three-time Pro Bowler. Cornerback Nathan Vasher would also reach a Pro Bowl for them during his time there. Rounding out the group was defensive tackle Tank Johnson and wide receiver Bernard Berrian. All four would play a big role in helping the team reach the Super Bowl two years later. The only year Grossman started a full season.