Every NFL team is hoping to get a draft streak going. That kind of streak where they go on a run selecting good players for a string of years. This quickly leads to success on the field and maybe a Super Bowl. It happens with almost every championship team. Chicago has one of their own going, but this Bears draft streak isn’t what people had in mind.
Luck is so often a factor in drafting players. Doing all the research only gets a team so far. Sooner or later they’ll have to leave it up to the fates. One thing that can be said about the Bears drafting of the past decade: it’s definitely been consistent in the luck department. Bad luck that is.
What stands out the most isn’t how good the players were or even how bad they were. Instead what stands out is the incredible string of injuries almost every single pick suffered during the early portions of their career. It’s almost comical when one looks back on it.
2008: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
- Had two separate backs surgeries his rookie year
- Injured his hamstring and missed several weeks his second year
2011: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
- Dislocated the kneecap of his right knee two games into his rookie year
2012: Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State
- Suffered a concussion and sprained his MCL during his rookie year
- Suffered a hamstring injury and missed multiple games his second year
2013: Kyle Long, OL, Oregon
- Suffered a torn labrum and a broken ankle in 2016
- Broke his finger in 2017 and had several surgeries during 2018 offseason
2014: Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
- Missed the entire 2016 season with a knee injury
2015: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
- Broke his leg prior to the 2015 season from overtraining
- Broke his other leg four games into 2016 against Detroit
- Fractured his shoulder blade in the 2017 season opener against Atlanta
2016: Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
- Suffered multiple concussions as a rookie
- Tore up his knee in 2017 after a collision with Fuller
- Broke two fingers in his hand while falling to the ground during 2018 preseason
What makes this so deflating is that a number of these players were or are talented. They’ve shown it whenever they’ve been able to stay on the field. Yet through a string of simple misfortunes, their careers were either killed or severely set back because of it. If fans are looking for a reason why the Bears haven’t made the playoffs in almost a decade, this is the place to start.
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Talent and good coaching? All that stuff matters a lot. Even so, nothing can make or break a season in the NFL more than a bout of bad health to your most important players. It’s happened again for Floyd already. Care for some perspective? The last time the Bears had a first round pick who made it through four years without missing more than one game in a season was……wait for it……Brian Urlacher.
