Result From Recent Chicago Bears 1st Round Trades Down May Surprise You
People may be shocked to hear this, but Ryan Poles‘ decision to move down from the 1st overall pick to 9th two weeks ago marked the first time a Chicago Bears GM has done that in the last 17 years. In that time, the team has either stayed in place or moved up. Fans are always in favor of moving down. It means the team is accumulating more picks. More picks equal more chances to find good players, right? Technically yes, but history shows that it’s never that easy when it comes to the draft.
In the past quarter century, the Bears have traded down four times. Interestingly they all happened in a seven-year span between 1999 and 2006. This must mean those trades contributed greatly to the team’s eventual Super Bowl push. Not exactly. The overall results can best be called mixed.
1999: 7th pick to Washington for 12th pick, 3rd rounder, 4th rounder, 5th rounder, and future 3rd rounder
- Cade McNown
- D’Wayne Bates
- Warrick Holdman
- Jerry Wisne
- Dustin Lyman
2003: 4th pick to Jets for 13th pick, 22nd pick, and 4th rounder
- Rex Grossman
- Ian Scott
2003: 13th pick to Patriots for 14th pick and 6th rounder
- Michael Haynes
- Justin Gage
2006: 26th pick to Bills for 2nd rounder and 3rd rounder
- Danieal Manning
- Dusty Dvoracek
Not the most inspiring list of players. McNown and Grossman were both quarterback busts. Holdman and Manning were both solid players. Not a single name can be considered a star. This reinforces a stern lesson from Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson.
The Chicago Bears have the picks. Now comes the hard part.
One thing is certain. Finding a good player at 9th overall is more difficult than it would be at 1st overall. Poles knows this. He even said that he believes there are seven or eight blue-chip talents in this class. That means there is a strong possibility all of them will be gone before he has a chance to pick. So he must be prepared for that eventuality. History shows great players always fall beyond the top five. Brian Urlacher went 9th overall in 2000. If Poles is any good at his job, he should be able to land at least a solid long-term starter.
If he does, he’ll be the first GM in many years to execute such a trade successfully. Both Mark Hatley and Jerry Angelo failed in their efforts. That 2003 draft was especially egregious. It was the same one they landed Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs. Imagine what might’ve happened had the Chicago Bears added Troy Polamalu and Calvin Pace instead of Haynes and Grossman. Maybe they would’ve had a shot at Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger the next year.
These are the what-ifs Poles must avoid.