With Recent Departures, Bears Draft Woes Really Evident
Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell introduces Shea McClellin (Boise State) as the number nineteen overall pick to the Chicago Bears in the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
2012
Phil Emery’s first draft at the controls. He shocked everyone taking McClellin and passing on Chandler Jones and Whitney Mercilus. The Bears would have had a pair of 3rd round picks (they had one from the Greg Olsen trade in 2011) but traded their own 3rd in ’12 and ’13 to the Dolphins for Brandon Marshall. He traded the 5th round pick to move up in the second round to select Alshon Jeffery. Looks like those trades panned out.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Shea McClellin | Defensive end | Boise State | |
| 2 | 45 | Alshon Jeffery | Wide receiver | South Carolina | From St. Louis Rams |
| 3 | 79 | Brandon Hardin | Safety | Oregon State | |
| 4 | 111 | Evan Rodriguez | Fullback/Tight end | Temple | |
| 6 | 184 | Isaiah Frey | Cornerback | Nevada | |
| 7 | 220 | Greg McCoy | Cornerback/Kick returner | TCU |
McClellin is headed to a position change after just a couple of failed years at DE. Hardin was another reach that busted out and E-Rod had issues of his own. At least the Bears hit a home run on Jeffery.
Number of draft picks on 2014 roster = 3
2013
The Bears headed into the draft only missing the third round pick from the Brandon Marshall trade. Emery surprised again with an unconventional pick in the first.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Kyle Long * | Offensive tackle | Oregon | |
| 2 | 50 | Jon Bostic | Linebacker | Florida | |
| 4 | 117 | Khaseem Greene | Linebacker | Rutgers | |
| 5 | 163 | Jordan Mills | Offensive tackle | Louisiana Tech | |
| 6 | 188 | Cornelius Washington | Defensive end | Georgia | From Atlanta Falcons |
| 7 | 236 | Marquess Wilson | Wide receiver | Washington State | From Atlanta Falcons |
The latest draft class is still all in tact. Kyle Long went to a Pro Bowl in his rookie season and Jordan Mills started all 16 games as a rookie. Marquess Wilson will be expected to take a step forward in his second season. Linebackers Bostic and Greene had opportunities but failed to cash in. Cornelius Washington is a project.
Number of draft picks on 2014 roster = 6
The lifeblood of your team are draft picks. Look at how few are on this team. Phil Emery is trying to dig out from a colossal mess that Jerry Angelo left him and some of his first couple of drafts leave some big misses to go with some solid hits. If the Bears want to be a consistent contender, this is where Emery needs to make some big improvements.