Getting a 1st round quarterback is only the beginning of the developmental process. It is often what comes in the following draft that can determine how a team does in their efforts to make a QB successful. A year after nabbing Justin Herbert, the Chargers drafted a left tackle in Rashawn Slater. The Bengals scooped wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase a year after snagging Joe Burrow. Selecting the QB is one step. Investing must be the next. This is where the Chicago Bears have a history of being somewhat…inconsistent.
Out of curiosity, I did some research with one question in mind. What did the Bears do in the draft one year after selecting a 1st round quarterback? This has happened five times in the Super Bowl era, not including Justin Fields last year. What I found were some interesting trends regarding their early picks. One that will excite Bears fans and another that helps explain the miseries at QB over the years.
1983 (Jim McMahon in 1982)
- 1st round – Jimbo Covert, OT, Pitt
- 1st round – Willie Gault, WR, Tennessee
- 2nd round – Mike Richardson, CB, Arizona State
1988 (Jim Harbaugh in 1987)
- 1st round – Brad Muster, RB, Stanford
- 1st round – Wendall Davis, WR, LSU
- 2nd round – Dante Jones, LB, Oklahoma
2000 (Cade McNown in 1999)
- 1st round – Brian Urlacher, MLB, New Mexico
- 2nd round – Mike Brown, S, Nebraska
2004 (Rex Grossman in 2004)
- 1st round – Tommie Harris, DT, Oklahoma
- 2nd round – Tank Johnson, DT, Washington
2018 (Mitch Trubisky in 2017)
- 1st round – Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
- 2nd round – Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
The exciting trend is that Chicago consistently looks to add wide receiver help the year after. They’ve done so in the 1st or 2nd round in three of those drafts. Where it gets troubling is the staggering lack of investment in the offensive line. There is only one player (Covert) in 12 total picks in the top two rounds across five drafts. What makes it hurt even more is some of the guys they had an opportunity to grab.
- 1988 – Dermontti Dawson
- 2000 – Chad Clifton
- 2018 – Orlando Brown Jr.
Chicago Bears must work to reverse this ugly trend.
The good news is they may finally have the right men in charge to do so. GM Ryan Poles is a former offensive lineman. So is assistant GM Ian Cunningham. All signs point to the Bears being active on the trenches early in this draft. They’ll have no shortage of interesting options available. Most agree this offensive line class is a deep one. The same can be said for the wide receivers.
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Whether the Chicago Bears brass wants to grab one with a 2nd round pick or not is difficult to answer. They haven’t had a ton of success over the past several years. Still, Fields needs weapons. Darnell Mooney and Byron Pringle aren’t enough by themselves to keep defenses respectable. They need another target. It is a matter of whether the board cooperates. As the 2000 draft showed, that isn’t always the case.
Sometimes you have to go for the best player available. That is why it shouldn’t be shocking if the team grabs a defensive lineman or a cornerback with one of those 2nd rounders. One can only hope the new regime does right by their young quarterback.
