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After weeks of discussion in a much more relaxed fashion than usual for Chicago, NFL Draft season has officially come to a close. The Bears addressed multiple holes on their roster across their seven picks, highlighted by drafting standout Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th pick. T
The Bears’ mid-round picks did not go without controversy, as they neglected to bolster the defensive line on Day Two and instead tripled down on offense. With their three picks, they selected Iowa center Logan Jones (57th pick), Stanford blocking tight end Sam Roush (69th pick), and the LSU speedster wideout Zavion Thomas (89th pick).
Time will tell if Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles made the right decisions in this year’s draft. Serving as a reminder of historical draft woes that have haunted Chicago in years past, it is time to look at the worst non-quarterback draft misses that have surrounded the organization with regret.
5. Shea McClellin
Drafted: 19th overall (2012)
Notable players passed on: Chandler Jones, Riley Reiff, Bobby Wagner
As someone drafted in the first round with a day two grade, Shea McClellin was always facing an uphill battle in terms of NFL success. Despite the tempered expectations when he was drafted, his output underwhelmed enough to earn a spot on this list.
After combining for 33 TFLs and 20.5 sacks in his final two seasons at Boise State, Lovie Smith drafted McClellin with the hopes that he could provide a game-changing energy to the defensive line. However, McClellin’s chances at thriving in Chicago were doomed from the get-go. The Bears’ 4-3 defensive scheme was the opposite of the 3-4 scheme he thrived in with Boise State, resulting in McClellin generally playing without a defined role.
Lacking a true position, McClellin rotated from defensive end to outside linebacker several times and struggled at both. In four seasons with the Bears, McClellin amassed just 8.5 total sacks and failed to use his athleticism to his advantage. To make matters worse, Chandler Jones fell two picks below him and went on to earn four Pro Bowl and two All-Pro appearances with New England and Arizona. Passing on Jones for McClellin forever haunts this city as an all-time draft blunder.
4. Michael Haynes
Drafted: 14th overall (2003)
Notable players passed on: Troy Polamalu, Dallas Clark, Osi Umenyiora
Draft-day trades have historically backfired for the Bears, and the 2003 NFL Draft poses a classic example. After trading down from the fourth pick with the Jets, the Bears received the 14th and 22nd picks in return. They used the 14th pick to nab reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Michael Haynes, in hopes that he could bolster an uncharacteristically bottom-ten defensive unit.
Sadly, Haynes failed to bring the lacking star power to the defensive line. Recording just two sacks in his rookie year, Haynes quickly found himself phased out of the Bears’ defensive rotation. The Bears traded for Pro Bowler Adewale Ogunleye in the 2004 offseason after Haynes’ inefficiency, removing the need for Haynes on the line.
In three seasons, Haynes never entered the starting lineup and was solely used as a rotational piece. He served as one of the most wasted picks in Bears history, as he never flashed much of the potential displayed at Penn State and lacked the speed to fit in Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defensive scheme.
3. David Terrell
Drafted: 8th overall (2001)
Notable players passed on: Reggie Wayne, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton
After scoring 13 receiving touchdowns in his junior year with the Michigan Wolverines, David Terrell soared onto the Bears’ radar as a receiver who could potentially thrive opposite of rising star Marty Booker. However, quarterback woes and inconsistency put a wrench into those plans.
Terrell significantly struggled in his rookie year, frequently dropping the ball and battling ineffectiveness all year. He recorded just 415 receiving yards with an ugly catch rate of 54 percent, while scoring only four touchdowns. Things did not improve in year two, as Terrell suffered a broken right foot that held him to playing only five games.
Even though Terrell made a full recovery, he never returned to the efficient level he played at with the Wolverines. In his final two seasons, his hands failed to improve, and Terrell found himself unable to crack the top of the depth chart until year four. Over the course of two years, Terrell scored just two touchdowns on a measly catch rate of 48.9%. With superstar receiver Reggie Wayne still on the board, drafting Terrell over him remains another blip in the Bears’ scouts’ ability to assess offensive talent.
2. Curtis Enis
Drafted: 5th overall (1998)
Notable players passed on: Randy Moss, Fred Taylor, Takeo Spikes
In a lifeless offense desperately missing the star power of Walter Payton, Curtis Enis was drafted to help fill the void and make the Bears’ backfield great again. Unfortunately for Chicago, injuries kept Enis from fulfilling this tall task.
Enis went fifth overall in 1998 after a monster junior year at Penn State, where he ran for 1,363 yards and a whopping 19 touchdowns. A contract dispute kept Enis from seeing the field right away, as Enis missed 28 days of the Bears’ rookie minicamp with a holdout. Playing catch-up upon return, Enis showed flashes of talent but struggled to adjust to the speed of the NFL. He fell behind veteran Edgar Bennett on the depth chart before tearing a ligament in his knee, nine games into his rookie year.
This injury permanently altered Enis’ ability, as he averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry on 916 yards rushing in his second and only full season in the NFL. Enis lasted just one more season with the Bears and in the NFL, where he started just five games and switched positions to fullback. Passing on Fred Taylor and Hall of Famer Randy Moss for Enis forever remains a head scratcher. Enis ranks as one of the biggest busts in Bears history and at the running back position as a whole.
1. Kevin White
Drafted: 7th overall (2015)
Notable players passed on: Todd Gurley, Marcus Peters, Stefon Diggs
The most recent draft pick on this list, Kevin White, takes the cake as the Bears’ most disappointing bust. White ascended up draft boards after a stellar senior season at West Virginia. Ranking second in the Big 12 in receiving yards, White recorded 1,447 yards while scoring ten receiving touchdowns. This eye-popping stat line propelled White to the top of draft boards in a loaded 2015 draft class, where six receivers went in the first round.
Unfortunately for Chicago, White failed to live up to his top billing and make a significant impact. Selected as Ryan Pace’s first-ever draft pick, White failed to bring life to a Bears offense lacking an elite weapon.
His NFL career got off to a brutal start, as a lingering shin injury caused White to miss his entire rookie year. Injuries defined his entire tenure with Chicago, as he played five combined games over the next two seasons, battling various injuries. The few and far between times when White took the field, he failed to get open running routes and lacked the breakaway speed flashed in West Virginia. Things got so bad for White’s development that he failed to beat out the reserves for playing time, getting marked as a healthy scratch several times in his final season with the Bears.
Pace opted to decline White’s fifth-year option, marking an end to his ugly Chicago stint after four years. Completely falling flat after sky-high expectations, White holds the spot as the biggest Bears bust in modern history.
Who do you think is the worst draft pick in Bears history? Let me know in the comments.
