This is only the 17th time in 68 drafts the Bears have had a top-five pick.
It may seem like more because the last one, running back Curtis Enis in 1998, was such a memorable flop. And in 1970, it was a disaster after they lost a coin flip. Instead of getting quarterback Terry Bradshaw, they traded for three average Green Bay players. But the Bears’ overall record is excellent in the top five (see chart).
The Bears can expect immediate help from their first pick based not only on their own tradition but also recent NFL history. Top-five picks are paid and expected to produce sooner rather than later.
Over the last 10 drafts, 33 of the 50 top-five picks have contributed significantly as rookies. Of the 17 who didn’t blossom in their first year, five came on soon thereafter. That leaves only 12 flops, or at least underachievers, although four of the immediate contributors soon faded, such as quarterback Rick Mirer. He never matched his first season in Seattle, to the Bears’ subsequent chagrin.
Of the five who paid dividends after nondescript first seasons, three were quarterbacks–Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, and Michael Vick–illustrating that patience is required at that position. Of the 50 top-five picks, 13 were quarterbacks and four didn’t make it. The other nine are starters and three have been to Super Bowls: McNair, Drew Bledsoe and Kerry Collins. None has won one. Bledsoe and Collins have been traded from their original teams.
