Jerry Angelo's Draft History, Part Seven: The 2008 NFL Draft

The Bears rolled the dice again in this draft perhaps much more than they had in past drafts and went to fill some immediate needs. They rolled the dice a bit on their first pick in the draft, Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams, because it was known that Williams had a bad back and that could be a problem. As it turned out it was a problem, and Williams missed half of the season. 

Forte was a pleasant surprise for the Bears in his first year with the team but had a down year in 2009 and needs to step up his play in 2010. Marcus Harrison had a solid start to the season but faded away, while Zack Bowman was a pleasant surprise for the team.

The following is a look at each player that was drafted by the Bears during the 2008 NFL draft.  There is some insight into how they have performed for the Bears so far, where they are now and what the future holds for them in Chicago.

Round One—Chris Williams, OT (Vanderbilt)

The Bears took a bit of a gamble by taking Williams with their first pick in the draft as it was known that he had a back problem that might require surgery. Williams didn’t even make it a full three days in training camp before he was sidelined with a herniated disc in his back and missed the first part of the season. He ended up playing on special teams when he finally made it back and didn’t get to start working in his natural position his first year with the Bears. 

In his second season in Chicago, Williams started out at right tackle, where he was adequate but not quite as good as the Bears may have been hoping for. However, before the end of the season, the Bears switched Williams over to the left side and he performed very well there. Perhaps he has found a future at left tackle. 

In two seasons with the Bears, Williams has played in 15 games starting 19.  He looks like he has a future at the left tackle position but the Bears could decide to keep Orlando Pace there at least one more season.  It depends a lot on what Pace decides to do.  At any rate, Williams did show some improvement towards the end of last season and could end up being much better in 2010.

Round Two—Matt Forte, RB (Tulane)

The Bears needed some help at the running back position with Cedric Benson not living up to his billing, so they went ahead and took Forte with their second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. All Forte did was rush for over 1,000 yards and help the Bears offense at least be productive at times. 

In two seasons with the Bears, Forte has played in and started in all 32 games. He has had 574 rushing attempts, gaining 2,167 yards with an average of 3.8 yards per rush. He has a total of 12 rushing touchdowns and his longest run has been 61 yards. Forte has also caught 120 passes for a total of 948 averaging 7.9 yards per catch. He has caught four touchdown passes catching the ball. Forte has fumbled seven times losing four of those fumbles. 

Forte’s first season in the NFL was much better than his second (and not just statistically) because he was a much more natural runner in his first year, whereas in his second season he wasn’t running the ball the same way.  Forte appeared to be “dancing” when he hit the hole and ran like he was scared of getting tackled at times. 

He didn’t have many big plays (the only two big runs he had came in both Detroit Lions contests) and wasn’t that much of a factor. However, he was a valuable asset catching the ball and could see more of that in the new offense that offensive coordinator Mike Martz will bring to the Bears. Perhaps we will see bigger and better things out of Forte in the coming seasons.

Round 3—Earl Bennett, WR (Vanderbilt)

Following a very productive career in college, the Bears decided to take Bennett with their first pick (of two) in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Bennett didn’t play in 2008 but did get a chance to play in 2009 and ended up having a decent season, but not a great one by any means. 

Since coming to Chicago, Bennett has played in 26 games, starting 15. He has caught 54 passes for 717 yards averaging 13.3 yards a catch with a long of 71 yards. He had two touchdowns and two fumbles without any fumbles lost. On special teams, Bennett has returned 15 punts for 160 yards with an average of 10.7 yards per punt with a long of 49 yards with one touchdown. He has also fumbled twice losing one. 

Quarterback Jay Cutler and Bennett played together for one year at Vanderbilt and the Bears hoped that Bennett and Cutler would be able to find that old magic and become a prolific passing duo, but that was not meant to be. Bennett took baby steps in 2009 and should be ready for much more action in 2010 and will probably see some because of the new offense that is coming to town. Hopefully Bennett will be able to pick it up and become the receiver that everyone hoped that he would be in 2010.

Round 3—Marcus Harrison, DT (Arkansas)

The Bears needed some depth at the defensive tackle position, so they took a chance on a character concern in Marcus Harrison with their second pick in the third round. Harrison’s first season with the Bears started out pretty well but he kind of disappeared after a strong start and hasn’t really resurfaced as a force since.

So far, Harrison has played in 32 games for the Bears, starting nine of those games (all in 2009). He has recorded 52 total tackles with 40 solo and 12 assisted. Harrison has recorded three sacks, and two passes defended. 

Harrison has had his problems, especially at the start of training camp when he came to camp overweight. He had a quiet season this year, though, and should be able to stick with the Bears at least one more season.

Round 4—Craig Steltz, S (Louisiana State)

The Bears went for some depth at the safety position and added Steltz in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft. Steltz was drafted for his hard-hitting play and ability to play special teams, and so far he has had a mediocre career that could get better depending on how things shake out in 2010. 

So far, Steltz has played in 23 games for the Bears and has started two games (both in 2009). He has recorded a total of 29 tackles with 26 solo and three assisted. He has had two passes defended and one interception. 

Steltz has played primarily on special teams during his time with the Bears, but he has been called upon to fill in as a starter as well, and while he isn’t the ideal person to be back there starting on a regular basis, he is a decent backup and valuable on special teams. He should remain a Bear for a few more seasons.

Round 5—Zack Bowman, CB (Nebraska)

Trying to find some additional help at the cornerback position brought the Bears a pleasant surprise in Bowman, who ended up having a short but decent first year with the Bears. In his second season, Bowman made plays, but wasn’t quite as solid at the cornerback position as they thought that he would be. 

So far, Bowman has played in 17 games starting 12 games (all of them in 2009). He has recorded a total of 68 tackles with 60 solo and eight assisted. He has had 11 passes defended and seven interceptions. Bowman has also has one forced fumble during his time with the Bears.

Bowman had some injury issues his first season and played only one game. He started this last season with some hamstring problems but he came back and played fairly well, but not as well as a solid starting cornerback should play. If Bowman can stay healthy this coming season, he should improve and could be a viable starter on the team, but if he still has a problem with the injury bug the Bears need to start thinking about getting someone new at Bowman’s position.

Round 5—Kellen Davis, TE (Michigan State)

Depth was needed at the tight end position, so Chicago went ahead and drafted the big Davis to help out there. Hopes were that with his size Davis would be a deadly blocker for their rushing attack, but things still haven’t worked out the way the Bears would have hoped. 

So far in his career with the Bears, Davis has played in 32 games for the Bears, starting two. He has had nine catches for 75 yards with an average of 8.3 yards per reception with three touchdown catches. His longest catch was 18 yards.

If things hold true to form, the tight end will become much more of a blocker in the Bears' new offense, so this might mean some problems for Davis. Davis, despite the fact he is the perfect size for a blocking tight end, does not have the work ethic that would be conducive to him being able earn a roster spot in the new system. Davis will only make the roster if he can prove that he is ready to block in Chicago’s new system and can practice much better than he has in the past.

Round 7—Ervin Baldwin, DE (Michigan State)

The Bears went for their second Michigan State player taking defensive end Ervin Baldwin in the seventh round.  Baldwin played just one season for the Bears and didn’t have any statistics.  He is currently with the Indianapolis Colts and was active for three games this season with them.  Things didn’t quite work out well with the Bears and Baldwin and he was let go this past offseason.  He wasn’t that much of a wasted pick because seventh rounders typically don’t make the roster.

Round 7—Chester Adams, OT (Georgia)

The Bears tried to get some additional depth at the offensive tackle position by selecting Adams, but things did work out quite well for both parties. Adams didn’t play a game for the Bears and isn’t in the NFL any longer. With so many seventh-round picks in this draft, you would have thought that the Bears would have been able to hit on one but they sure didn’t with Adams.

Round 7—Joey LaRocque, LB (Oregon State)

LaRocque was perhaps the better later acquisitions by the Bears in this draft and he turned out to be pretty reliable on special teams. During his career with the Bears, LaRocque played in 14 games, primarily on special teams and didn’t start any of those games. He recorded six solo tackles.  He was deemed expendable this offseason and let go. He hasn’t landed with any other franchise as of this writing.

Round 7—Kirk Barton, OT (Ohio State)

Chicago continued to try to bolster the depth of its offensive line by taking Barton late in the draft. Barton spent just one season with the Bears playing in only one game. Since leaving Chicago, he has spent some time with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Round 7—Marcus Monk, WR (Arkansas)

Monk was basically damaged goods when the Bears drafted him after suffering some serious knee injuries in college and he never panned out for the Bears. All together, Monk didn’t play in any games for the Bears and was cut. After that he was signed by the Panthers for a short amount time, but was let go and is out of football now.

This draft class was great at the top for the Bears, at least for one season but promises to pan out more in the future providing that the players that still remain with the Bears remain healthy and right for the system. 

Williams and Forte have a promising future as long as they can stay healthy and the offense is suited to Forte’s talents. Bowman has a great future as well and should improve a lot over his performance in 2009 while Harrison, Steltz and Davis are players on the bubble and may not be around when the 2010 season starts. If that is the case this draft will go down as another mediocre draft in a long line of mediocre drafts by Jerry Angelo.

Next Up: The 2009 NFL Draft