Jerry Angelo's Draft History Part VI: The 2007 Draft

The Bears looked to fill some holes found during their run at the Super Bowl the previous season and managed to grab a few guys that are still with the team today.

Tight end Greg Olsen was their first pick in the draft and though he hasn’t quite developed yet, he still has a lot of potential and could be the star that the Bears hoped that he would be.

The Bears got some decent production out of Kevin Payne and Corey Graham, but they busted on two other players in this draft, namely Dan Bazuin and Michael Okwo.

The following is a look at each player that the Bears drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft with some insight into how they have played, how they have impacted the team, and what their future is or was with the Bears.

 

Round One: Greg Olsen, TE, Miami (FL)

The Bears were lacking a strong presence at the tight end position, so drafting Olsen made a lot sense at the time.

After a couple of sub-par seasons, it was thought that the arrival of quarterback Jay Cutler would help bring Olsen into the forefront within the passing game and could quite possibly make the Pro Bowl, but that didn’t happen this past season.

Perhaps it will happen in 2010.

So far (in his career with the Bears), Olsen has played in 46 games, starting 26 since joining the team.  He has caught 153 passes for 1,577 yards, with an average of 10.2 yards per catch.  His longest catch was 52 yards and he has caught 15 touchdowns.  In addition to that, Olsen has fumbled two times, losing both.

Next year will be a make or break year for Olsen, who has the size and speed to excel at the tight end position in the NFL, but just may have been a victim of poor play calling in 2009.

One other thing that appears to be a problem for Olsen is his blocking skills, or lack thereof.  He doesn’t seem to like to block and this hurts the Bears on offense a lot.  It will be interesting to see what the Bears new offensive scheme has him do next season and whether or not they can use him properly and require him to block.

 

Round Two: Dan Bazuin, DE, Central Michigan

Of all of the picks that Jerry Angelo has had since coming to the Bears, this pick and another one in this draft (linebacker Michael Okwo) may have been the worst two picks of his tenure with the Bears.

Bazuin had a history of injury problems and the Bears knew this, but they made him their second round pick anyway and paid the price.

Bazuin didn’t play any games for the Bears and was let go just two seasons after being drafted (because of injury).  He was picked up briefly by the Houston Texans, but never caught on and is currently out of football.

Not a very good pick by Angelo, to say the least.

 

Round Three: Garrett Wolfe, RB, Northern Illinois

The Bears made another mysterious selection with their first pick of the third round when they took smallish Northern Illinois running back Garrett Wolfe.

Wolfe couldn’t be considered a full time running back because of his size and the Bears didn’t use him in the capacity that they felt he would be best in, which was as a third down specialist and receiver out of the backfield.

Wolfe has managed to carve himself out a bit of a niche on special teams though and has excelled in that phase of the game when he is healthy (which has been a problem).

All together, Wolfe has played in 34 games, starting none.  He has carried the ball 68 times for 274 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per rush.  He has scored one touchdown (on the ground) as well and has caught 11 receptions for 129 yards and no touchdowns.  Wolfe has fumbled once but didn’t lose that fumble.

A lot of what happens to Wolfe this offseason will depend on new offensive coordinator, Mike Martz.  Is there going to be enough room for a small gadget running back, or will his stellar special teams play help him keep his roster spot?

Time will tell.

 

Round Three: Michael Okwo, LB, Stanford

Picking Okwo was a bit of a strange thing for Angelo to do, knowing that he didn’t have a lot of experience and the team didn’t really need a linebacker at that time (especially that high in the draft).

Okwo didn’t play in any games for the Bears and was released the season after he was drafted.

At last check, Okwo was with the Indianapolis Colts for a short amount of time, but it appears that he isn’t going to stick with the team.  Okwo may be out of football in 2010, proving that Jerry Angelo had a lack of vision (or perhaps common sense) when making this selection.

 

Round Four: Josh Beekman, OG, Boston College

Beekman has had a mixed career in Chicago so far, but it does appear that he has a future with the Bears.  Beekman can not only play the guard position, but he can also play center as well, and may be the heir apparent for Olin Kreutz.

So far, Beekman has played in 28 games, starting 20, and has played guard for almost his entire career.

While he isn’t a stellar player he is pretty solid, and should end up being part of the Chicago Bears for the next few years. 

 

Round Five: Kevin Payne, CB/FS, Louisiana Monroe

The Bears decided to add some depth at the cornerback position in this draft (and it was much needed), so they went ahead and drafted Payne.

All together, Payne has played in 32 games for the Bears, starting 22.  He has recorded a total of 136 tackles, with 113 of those solo and 23 assisted.  Payne has had one sack, 12 passes defended, and four interceptions.

Payne was moved to safety and performed very well there, but lost his starting job in 2009 as the Bears did some shuffling in the secondary.

While he remains a viable option at the safety position, he is a bit less of a talent than the Bears would like to have. If they get some solid help at the position anytime soon, he could wind up backing up at the free safety position, or could be brought back to the cornerback position to help with depth there.

 

Round Five: Corey Graham, CB, New Hampshire

Graham was another small school cornerback that the Bears brought in to add some depth to the position.

During his career with the Bears, Graham has played in 45 games, starting 10.  He has recorded a total of 141 total tackles, with 121 solo and 20 assisted.  He has recorded nine passes defended, one interception, and one forced fumble.

Graham should figure into the Bears plans in 2010 as they aren’t that deep at thecornerback position and when Graham is in there, he does manage to play pretty well.

Still, he isn’t a long term solution to an ongoing problem and if the Bears find someone better at cornerback, he could be out before the final roster is put together at the end of training camp this summer.

 

Round Seven: Trumaine McBride, CB, Mississippi

The Bears continued to draft heavy at the cornerback position by selecting Trumaine McBride out of Mississippi.

McBride has played in 33 games for the Bears, starting 10 of those games.  He had a total of 52 tackles, with 45 solo and seven assisted.  He had seven passes defended, one interception, and one forced fumble.

McBride played in just one game for the Bears this season before being let go after he was injured.

Unless something happens and the Bears lose some of their cornerbacks to injury during the offseason, they probably won’t bring McBride back.  He was a pretty solid player while he was with the Bears, but just not good enough to stick with the team in 2009.

 

Round Seven: Aaron Brant, OT, Iowa State

With the final pick of the draft for the Bears, Brant was brought in to help add some depth to their offensive line.

In the end, it didn’t work out for Brant and the Bears and he was let go before playing a single game.  He is currently out of the NFL.

 

This draft brought Olsen, Payne, Beekman, and Graham to the Bears, and these players are still with the team and are contributing often.

The mistakes made by taking Okwo and Bazuin will continue to haunt the Bears for at least another couple years, and these two picks represent the biggest draft mistakes that Jerry Angelo has made during his time in Chicago.

We are still waiting to see how the players in this draft that remain with the Bears end up doing, but it’s clear to see that this draft may have just been mediocre when compared with others.

 

Next Up: The Chicago Bears 2008 NFL Draft.