One draft typically doesn’t decide the fate of a football team. However, it can determine how high they are able to reach. The Chicago Bears have had plenty of bad drafts in their history. Everybody has their opinion on which is the worst. One thing that can’t be argued is the 2001 draft is probably among their most disappointing since the start of the new millennium. A shame too because they went into the year with such momentum.
In 2000, they’d scored two huge hits with Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown in the 1st and 2nd rounds. Now outgoing GM Mark Hatley had a chance to build on that foundation. He had the 8th overall pick and a prime opportunity to add another centerpiece. Instead, he set the tone for most of his run in Chicago. One categorized by some horrendous decisions in the 1st round when he selected wide receiver David Terrell out of Michigan.
Nobody knew it at the time, but that choice would haunt him and the team.
Not just because Terrell proved to be a bust. That alone was bad enough. It was also because that selection ended up turning the Bears away from other possible receiving options. Two of which ruined their dreams of a Super Bowl championship. The first was Reggie Wayne. He ended up going 30th overall to the Indianapolis Colts. Bears fans probably remember him best for the wide open touchdown in the Super Bowl he scored. One that came on 3rd and 10 and allowed the Colts to regain their footing after Devin Hester’s opening kickoff.
It doesn’t stop there though. Two rounds later, the Carolina Panthers drafted a young man named Steve Smith out of Utah. He quickly became one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL and in 2005, he knocked the Bears out of the playoffs single-handedly. His 218-yard and two-touchdown performance helped Carolina stun them at Soldier Field 29-21. Robbing Chicago of a premium opportunity when their defense was still healthy.
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Chicago Bears compounded this with more bad decisions
It’s amazing to think that picking the wrong player at the right position can have such a long-term impact on a team down the line. If they had managed to somehow get either Wayne or Smith instead of Terrell, there is no telling how different things might’ve been in 2005 and 2006. Yet the Bears still had their chances to come away with a productive draft. Sadly, Angelo never really found his footing the rest of that weekend.
They did take Anthony Thomas in the 2nd round. He went on to become Rookie of the Year. His career though didn’t last long. Mike Gandy? Karon Riley? Bernard Robertson? None of them proved to be consolation prizes either. The 2001 class was non-existent during that critical two-year window for the Chicago Bears.
That draft hurt them in so many ways.
This is why so many people tell you that every draft is important. Missing on just one class can absolutely destabilize the entire building process for a roster. When looking at their near-miss at the Super Bowl 15 years ago? The true source of their failure can be traced back to 2001.