3 draft picks the Chicago Bears gave up on too soon

Leonard Floyd, EDGE

It's easy to see why the Bears made the decision they did: after going 9th overall in 2016, Floyd only had more than 4.5 sacks once – his rookie season (7.0) – through his first four years. He also missed a good bit of time during both of his first two seasons, only playing in 12 games his rookie year, and 10 the next. Sack numbers can be a bit arbitrary, but it didn't seem like Floyd was ever going to develop into the type of player that many expected him to be when he was taken in the Top 10.

Then, like, the moment after he left Chicago, he developed into the type of palyer that many expected him to be when he was taken in the Top 10. After only having three sacks in his final season with the Bears, Floyd went to the LA Rams and put up a 10.5 sack campaign. The year after that? A nine-sack season. In three years with the Rams, he had almost 30 sacks – playing with Aaron Donald will do that. (Although it's not like he didn't play on an elite defensive front in Chicago.)

He ended up being a cap casualty after the 2022 season, and wound up signing a one year deal with the Bills. The analytics don't love the one season he spent in Buffalo – his tackling was rough – but he still managed to tie a career-high with 10.5 sacks. This offseason he signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, where he still figures to get plenty of one-on-one matchups. The Bears' defense has found a way to rebound without him, but they could certainly use another pass rusher of his caliber across from Montez Sweat.