Re-Grading Chicago Bears 2008 NFL Draft

How did the Chicago Bears fare in the 2008 NFL Draft?

To spark up the offseason we are going to go back in time and regrade the Bears drafts of the past decade. Some will be a lot easier to grade than others but it will be a good exercise to look at recent history and compare it to what the team has and has not learned over its hits and misses. This edition, we will focus on the 2008 NFL draft.

1. Chris Williams, OL, Vanderbilt

Williams is a tough miss for the Chicago Bears. Injury had a lot to do with it, but the Bears had a pick in the top 15 and completely missed on it. Williams missed a lot of his rookie season due to some back ailments. He started most of his second season at right tackle, but also slotted in at left tackle some. In 2010 he started in 13 games but finished the year injured. The Bears tried to move him to guard, but from his back to hamstrings, injury hit his career too hard. The Bears released him in 2012 and he only started 19 games from that point on.

2. Matt Forte, Tulane

Forte makes up for a lot of what the Bears lost out on in the first round. Forte put in eight solid seasons for the Bears, each with over 200 rushing attempts. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in five of his eight seasons and was always a receiving threat. While the team lost Forte to free agency and did not relinquish anything for him, the eight years of his consistency and leadership makes him well worth the pick. In a re-draft, Forte may not have been around for their first round pick.