Taking a Look at Jerry Angelo's Draft History Part II The 2003 NFL Draft

In his second year with the Bears, Angelo managed to do things a little better than he did in his first year and drafted current starters like Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman.  This was also the draft that produced former players like quarterback Rex Grossman and Michael Haynes, both players that had some contribution to the team but didn’t last in the long term.  Let’s take a look at the players that Angelo drafted in the Bears 2003 NFL Draft.

Round One-Michael Haynes-DE-Penn State-Haynes came in as a highly touted player and someone that the Bears felt could help them for the long term.  While with the Bears, Haynes played in 43 games with the Bears starting four of those games.  When head coach Lovie Smith came to Chicago, Haynes, who was a heavier player at the time, didn’t fit his scheme well enough because Smith wanted to use lighter and quicker players for his system so Haynes was obsolete.  It was also said that Haynes wasn’t an aggressive player and didn’t enjoy playing football.  He ended up in New Orleans for a short period of time after getting released by Bears and is out of football now.

Round One-Rex Grossman-QB-Florida-If you are a Bears fan you know what Grossman did and didn’t do for the Bears during his stay in Chicago.  His first two seasons were spent hurt but he came in towards the end of the 2005 season to help lead the Bears to an NFC North championship (they lost to the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs).  The next season, Grossman, after a hot start to the season, faltered a bit down the stretch but did lead the Bears to their first Super Bowl in 21 years.  Following that season, Grossman’s play continued on a downward spiral and he was eventually replaced by former Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton.  Grossman was released this past offseason and landed with the Houston Texans as their second string quarterback.  During his time with the Bears, Grossman played in 36 games starting 31 of those games.  He threw for 6,164 yards, 33 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.  His quarterback rating was 70.2.

Round 2-Charles Tillman-CB-Louisiana-Lafayette-The Bears got lucky in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft when they picked up Tillman in the second round.  Tillman has been a bright spot for the Bears, most of the time (when he is not hurt or drawing unsportsmanlike conduct calls) and has been their most solid coverage corner.  Since coming to Chicago, Tillman has played in 92 games starting 88 games (through nine games in 2009) and has had 22 interceptions, three interceptions returned for touchdowns and 19 forced fumbles.  Tillman has missed some time due to injuries, mainly shoulder problems but when he is on the field he is one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL and one of the Bears best defenders.  Look for Tillman to remain with the Bears a while longer and as long as he stays healthy, continue to be one the better players on defense for Chicago.

Round 3-Lance Briggs-OLB-Arizona-Briggs is another one of those great finds from the 2003 NFL Draft that has managed to be the best player taken by the Bears in the draft.  Briggs has been selected to four Pro Bowls and has been named a first team All-Pro and a second team All-Pro since coming to the Bears.  Through nine games this season, Briggs has played in 103 games starting 100 of those games.  He has had 724 tackles with ten interceptions with ten forced fumbles and three touchdowns.  Briggs had some contract issues not too long ago but is signed with the team for several seasons and could end his career in Chicago as one of the top linebackers in their history.

Round 4-Todd Johnson-S-Florida-Johnson, while a pretty solid special teamer for the Bears during his tenure with the team, didn’t remain with the team long enough to have a solid impact on defense for the Bears.  During his time in Chicago Johnson played in 42 games starting 18 games and had no interceptions and two forced fumbles.  Johnson was thrust into the starting lineup at times thanks to injuries at the safety position but he never really stood out and the Bears saw no reason to keep him after his rookie contract expired.  He has been with the St. Louis Rams (for two seasons) and is currently with the Buffalo Bills.

Round 4-Ian Scott-DT-Florida-While many Bears fans may not really remember who Scott was, his contributions during Chicago’s run to the Super Bowl in 2006 was very important.  While with the Bears, Scott played in 49 games for the Bears starting 33 of those games.  He had three interceptions and one forced fumble with Chicago while with the team.  Scott was solid but not quite what the Bears had in mind for their defense and so they let him go at the end of 2008.  Scott was picked up by the Chargers and remains there with them this season.

Round 5-Bobby Wade-WR-Arizona-Wade, at the outset, was a pleasant surprise for the team but as his career with the Bears moved on, they realized that Wade was more of a liability than an asset (especially returning punts) and he was let go after the 2005 season.  While with the Bears, Wade played in 40 games starting 15 of those games.  He caught 64 passes for 698 yards and no touchdowns.  Incidentally, Wade had a total of 13 fumbles with six lost.  His tendency to fumble helped him earn his way out of Chicago.  Since leaving the Bears, Wade has played with the Tennessee Titans, the Minnesota Vikings and is now with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Round 5-Justin Gage-WR-Missouri-The Bears took another wide receiver with their next pick in Gage and he played fairly well for the team but just wasn’t what they had envisioned in a wide receiver so he was let go in 2007.  While with the Bears, Gage played in 49 games starting 16 of those games.  He caught 64 passes for 908 yards and four touchdowns.  Following his release from the Bears, Gage landed with the Tennessee Titans where he remains to this day.

Round 5-Tron Lafavor-DT-Florida-Chicago had hoped that it found a gem with Lafavor who may have been able to help them get some additional depth at the defensive tackle position but it wasn’t meant to be.  All told, Lafavor was with the Bears for just one season before getting cut.  He spent some time with the Carolina Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens.  Lafavor is out of football now.

Round 6-Joe Odom-LB-Purdue-The Bears looked for some help at the linebacker position in the sixth round that year and ended up taking Purdue’s Joe Odom.  Odom played in 28 games for the Bears starting eight of those games.  He recorded 36 total tackles.  The Bears let Odom go after the 2005 season.  He spent some time with the Buffalo Bills after that and is now out of football.

Round 6-Brock Forsey-RB-Boise State-The Bears decided to try to add some depth to their running back group by selecting Forsey in the sixth round.  Forsey only spent one season with the Bears playing in 11 games and starting two of those games.  He had 50 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns.  Forsey wasn’t able to make the roster the next season and landed with the Miami Dolphins.  He played in six games but didn’t do much more than that and was out of the NFL the next season.

Round 7-Bryan Anderson-OG-Pittsburgh-Angelo tried to add some depth at the guard position buy drafting Anderson but things didn’t work out quite well for Anderson or the Bears.  All told, Anderson played in four games in two years with the Bears starting none of those games.  Anderson was let go after the 2004 season and didn’t land with any other team in the NFL.  He is currently out of football.

This was a good draft for Angelo and perhaps one of his better ones because he found two future stars in Tillman and Briggs.  However, some of the positive things in this draft are offset by the failures of their top two picks, Haynes and Grossman although Grossman did lead them to a Super Bowl.  None of the other players from this draft remain with the team but some do remain in the NFL and are steady performers (to a point) including Gage and Wade.  The later rounds of this draft didn’t produce much at all and were somewhat disappointing.

Next Up: The 2004 Draft