Are The Bears Injured Draft Picks More Than a Coincidence?

Is it just me or do the Chicago Bears have more injured draft picks each year than any other team in football? 

Year in and year out this team selects the rights to a player in the April draft, and by the time the first game comes around the draftee seems to be hurt.  Granted, there are some exceptions to this, but it bothers me that injuries are becoming the rule to being drafted by the Bears.

Chris Williams had to undergo back surgery earlier this week, and the Bears now have to switch things up from what their original plans were headed into the season.  I know players get hurt, but why do so many Bears draft picks that are supposed to be contributing right away find themselves standing on the sidelines without pads on so often?

Chris Williams is only one name on a growing list of names over the past few years to fall into this category.  So far we have seen Matt Forte, Craig Steltz, and the other Bears draft picks stay healthy.  However, the main contributor from this group will start the season without a starting spot because of back spasms which led to surgery this training camp.

Last year we saw Greg Olsen last the season, although he was not used as prominently as Bears fans would have liked (perhaps that changes this year).  But that does not make up for the fact that second round selection in 2007, Dan Bazuin, missed the entire season last year with a knee injury.  Although he wasn't slated to be a marquee player, Bazuin would have still helped the Bears in depth, especially when the injury bug bit the second half of the season last year.

In 2006 the Bears drafted Devin Hester, who has done everything the team could have asked for and more since arriving in Chicago.  However, Dusty Dvoraceck of Oklahoma was drafted as a defensive tackle that year as well, and he has played in one whole game over the past two years.  When healthy (one regular season game against San Diego) he held his own and made plays.  Too bad he is another player on the list of injured Bears draft picks who we have yet to get a real read on.

Finally, 2005 was a draft the Bears would like to forget occured.  Grant it Kyle Orton was picked and he for the most part led the Bears to their first NFC North crown that year...well guided, he certainly wasn't allowed to lead that year from the offensive coaching staff.  That year is also the year we were blessed with the #4 overall selection of Cedric Benson and second round draft pick of Mark Bradley.

Jerry Angelo and company found love for the Big XII that year, but the Big XII has failed to love him back. 

Cedric Benson was released from the Bears earlier this year but only after being injured at different times during each of his NFL seasons so far.  Mark Bradley was a bad pick the moment it was made and that had nothing to do with his vulnerability to being injured, instead on his inability to keep his head out of somewhere dark and deep while on the football field.

Since joining the Bears Mark Bradley has played in 32 games over three years.  Not bad, right around six missed games a year.  The Bears planned on him being a key cog of their receiving core but have yet to see it happen.

What all these listed players have in common is that after their injuries, they are still yet to produce the way they were supposed to when the Bears chose them on day one of the NFL Draft. 

I do not know if it is solely coincidental that the Bears draft players who get hurt quickly, or if it is a breakdown somewhere along the way.  Either way it is frustrating and has set the Bears back from where they should be today.

Will Chris Williams find himself in the same position or will he be able to come back and be a legitimate starter for years to come?  There is plenty of time left in his career but so far it is off to a very Mark Columbo type ride.