Michael Haynes-DE-Penn State-Round 1 2003: The biggest busts are reserved for the failed first-round picks. Haynes was selected with the 14th overall pick, their top pick in the draft that year, after leading the Big Ten conference in sacks the previous year. The Bears could have stayed with the 13th pick and taken a solid [...]

Dan Bazuin-DE-Central Michigan-Round 2 2007: One of Angelo’s most epic busts. Angelo thought the small-school end would be a sleeper. Not much here to write about a player that never suited up for a game and was cut following one year on injured reserve. In fairness to Bazuin and Angelo, a knee injury during the [...]

Michael Okwo-LB-Stanford-Round 3 2007: Another collosal bust from the 2007 draft. Okwo was selected with the Bears’ own third-round draft pick that year. The team was in the thick of Lance Briggs’ (first) contract dispute, and Angelo projected Okwo to have a similar skillset to Briggs. Okwo was placed on injured reserve prior to his [...]

Mark Bradley-WR-Oklahoma-Round 2 2005: Bradley was not listed anywhere in the 2005 version of Lindy’s NFL Draft guide, thus I reacted to the pick with wonderment. He was tall and fast, and also had red flags flapping in the wind around him due to knee injuries. Bradley looked like he would be a find in [...]

Chris Williams-T-Vanderbilt-Round 1 2008: In fairness, entering 2012 Williams is still a starter for the Bears, unlike many of Jerry Angelo’s top draft picks. He has not been a complete bust, but with the 14th overall selection in a draft, general managers are held accountable for strong results. The Bears needed a left tackle in [...]

Garrett Wolfe-RB-Northern Illinois-Round 3 2007: Angelo again traded down in the ill-fated 2007 NFL draft, a year that failed to produce a single selection that is still with the team as of 2012. For the Bears’ 37th overall selection (obtained in a swap of second-round picks with the New York Jets for RB Thomas Jones), [...]

Dan LeFevour-QB-Central Michigan-Round 6 2010: It’s hard to call any sixth-round draft pick a mistake, since the vast majority of these players aren’t expected to go onto great NFL success. And Dan LeFevour was a record-setting college quarterback. But there are several reasons for this. Late in the 2010 season it was revealed that during [...]

Roosevelt Williams-CB-Tuskegee-Round 3 2002: Angelo started his penchant for trading down in the first draft he led as a general manager. In 2002, instead of using the 63rd overall pick the Bears traded down nine spots in exchange for the Dallas Cowboy’s third-round pick and a swap of fourth-rounders. With the extra pick in the [...]

Jarron Gilbert and Juaquin Iglesias-Round 3 2009: In the 2009 draft it was critical for the Bears to hit on their picks, as they did not have a first-rounder due to the trade for Jay Cutler. Chicago’s first pick that year was in the second round, 49th overall. Jerry Angelo and his staff decided to [...]

Thanks for the comments-glad to know a few of my friends out there are reading. Some of your comments indicate that you’d like to see some more on Angelo-such as some of the decisions that didn’t work out so much. Well, we have you covered. After a hiatus next week, starting on the 18th we’ll [...]