It takes three years to grade an NFL draft class fairly. With that in mind, now is the time to evaluate the group of eight players the Bears picked in the 2004 NFL draft. Final grade: A-
Tommie Harris, DT
Pick: First round, 14th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Mel Kiper’s final mock draft had dropped Harris, considered to have top-10 talent, to No. 17 and skeptics started to wonder whether he could be a full-time player in the NFL after playing half the snaps in college. The Tribune’s Don Pierson called Harris a “perfect fit” for the Bears, and he was right.
Career path: If Harris recovers from hamstring surgery as well as he expects, he could become the most dominant DT in the NFC and set the standard at the position for richest contract.
Tank Johnson, DT
Pick: Second round, 47th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Pro Football Weekly labeled Johnson a “me-guy” and foreshadowed off-the-field problems that have dogged the Bears’ most troubled player.
Career path: On the field Johnson has developed into a dependable, disruptive player good enough to start, but off it he hasn’t avoided problems that threaten to shorten his career.
Bernard Berrian, WR
Pick: Third round, 78th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Knee injury during senior year and fears about him going across the middle scared many teams.
Career path: Has fought through injuries, and his emergence last season as a deep threat, and in traffic, makes him de facto No. 1 receiver for Bears. He will only get better.
Nathan Vasher, CB
Pick: Fourth round, 110th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: A slow 40 time during a predraft workout hurt Vasher.
Career path: Bears re-timed him and took a chance that paid off when Vasher played his way into the lineup and into the Pro Bowl in 2005. Needs to keep improving.
Leon Joe, LB
Pick: Fourth round, 112th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Workout warrior whose instincts around the ball drew questions.
Career path: Workout warrior whose instincts around the ball have limited him mostly to special teams.
Claude Harriott, DE
Pick: Fifth round, 147th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Underachieving pass-rusher who Bears gambled would regain his 2002 form when he had nine sacks at Pittsburgh.
Career path: He never did and is with the Lions, his third NFL team.
Craig Krenzel, QB
Pick: Fifth round, 148th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Weak arm and poor accuracy would give molecular-genetics major good jump on medical school.
Career path: Won first three starts in ’04 when injuries forced him into lineup but was cut a year later by Bears and now is selling real estate in Ohio.
Alfonso Marshall, CB
Pick: Seventh round, 215th overall
Draft-day scuttlebutt: Why? Sporting News hadn’t ranked Marshall among top 60 CBs. Career path: Out of football after seeing action in seven games in ’04.
