Slim pickings for Bears, indeed
Bears haven't gotten much out of their 2009 draft yet -- and 2010 might be worse
The Bears' acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler during the offseason brought renewed hope and anticipated glory to a franchise desperate for both. The standard has slipped a bit during the first half of the season, with competence now the major goal of Ron Turner's offense heading into a crucial game today against the Cardinals at Soldier Field.
Something essential seems to be lacking from the 2009 Bears, but they can get back into the playoff hunt with a victory today. If the immediate future isn't theirs, however, you have to wonder just how they're going to make the long-term future work.
Don't forget that teams are built through the draft, and the two main pieces from the Bears' 2009 and 2010 draft classes are already on the field. The Bears traded their 2009 and 2010 first-round picks for Cutler and their 2010 second-round pick for defensive lineman Gaines Adams.
Both moves were right, mind you. Cutler is worth the king's ransom it took to get him. He fills the ultimate bogeyman position for the Bears, and the team hopes he someday will become the best quarterback in franchise history.
Adams, a former No. 4 overall selection by the Buccaneers, is signed through 2012 at a great price. There isn't going to be a pass rusher drafted in the second round in April as ready to contribute as Adams will be next season.
But there is a downside to losing draft picks, and that is that the Bears' rookies next season probably won't be able to contribute much more than their rookies this season have. In fact, odds are the 2010 group will be even less of a factor because the Bears wound up with nine picks in the 2009 draft and hold only five right now in 2010. It's difficult to get much more than a redshirt class out of any draft, but it's nearly impossible with no picks in the first two rounds.
The hope is that some members of the 2009 draft class will be able to contribute next season. As it stands right now, only two of the Bears' 2009 draftees have made any kind of impact this season.
Fifth-round selection Johnny Knox has been a revelation. A speedster from tiny Abilene (Texas) Christian, Knox is third on the team with 24 catches for 334 yards and leads the Bears with four touchdowns, including one on a kickoff return. The Minnesota Vikings' Percy Harvin is the only rookie wide receiver in the NFC with better statistics than Knox.
''I'm feeling more comfortable as the weeks go by,'' Knox said. ''I never felt like I didn't belong.''
The only rookie starter on the Bears is safety Al Afalava, a sixth-round pick out of Oregon State who has started every game. Not bad for a guy who didn't even get invited to the scouting combine last February.
''I am still surprised I am in the NFL, period,'' Afalava said. ''My goal was to make the team. Next thing you know, I am starting. I think it's a dream sometimes.''
The others in the Class of 2009 seem more in danger of dying from boredom. The Bears had two picks in the third round and used them on defensive end Jauron Gilbert and wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias.
Gilbert, a project whose greatest claim to fame is jumping out of a swimming pool and landing on his feet, has appeared in one game. Check back on his progress in two years. Iglesias has been inactive for every game. His progress has been slowed by having to learn every receiver position instead of concentrating on one spot, such as Knox, who works only at split end. The bottom line is that Iglesias is two injuries from reaching the field.
The two players the Bears took in the fourth round are mystery men. Defensive end Henry Melton was put on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain suffered during the preseason. Would he have made the roster? If so, at whose expense? Cornerback D.J. Moore has been another game-day inactive. He's a young guy who needs to mature.
The fifth round brought Knox and linebacker Marcus Freeman, who not only didn't make the Bears but isn't even on an NFL practice squad. Afalava stands alone in the sixth round, and seventh-round offensive lineman Lance Lewis is known only because he was charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from an incident a year ago at San Diego State. He has a December court date. Wide receiver Derek Kinder, the Bears' other seventh-round selection, was cut and is out of football.
The Class of 2009 might prove to be a godsend next season. For now, though, it's more of a lowly standard the Bears only can hope to exceed when drafting in April.
Mike Mulligan and Sun-Times colleague Brian Hanley host ''The Mully and Hanley Show'' from 5 to 9 a.m. weekdays on WSCR-AM (670).