With the 131st pick in 2014 NFL Draft the Bears took Minnesota Golden Gopher safety Brock Vereen. They got this pick from the Denver Broncos as the Bears traded up to get Vereen.
Vereen is no longer with the Bears having been a part of the team for just one season. He played in all 16 games in 2014 and had four starts as a rookie. He had one pass defended and one interception.
But, after a rough start to the 2015 season, he was released after just three games.
He ended up on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad but was released a few weeks later. Vereen earned a spot on the New England Patriots practice squad but soon after that announced his retirement. He decided to come back and was with the Kansas City Chiefs for a very short time but was let go.
Vereen is currently out of football.
He was serviceable as a rookie but fell fast and far. His play on the field dropped off sharply as the 2015 season started and he didn’t regain any of the prowess that the Bears saw when they drafted him or when he played in his first season. Perhaps the drafting of Vereen goes to show the lack of forward thinking by Emery and his regime in selecting players that couldn’t make it in the NFL.
It’s too bad that he didn’t work out as he was a solid talent but just wasn’t consistent. And the Bears really needed the help at safety. The pick was a wasted opportunity to fill the need at the position or at least put a bit of a band-aid on it until they could find someone better.
Vereen is just another perfect example of a failed draft strategy for the previous Bears regime.