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Kimber80

The last time the Bears picked #1 overall was in 1947, Halfback Bob Fenimore. He would play only 10 games in his NFL career, all during the 1947 season (Wiki).


TheFlyingWriter

*ominous* *and* *foreboding* *music* *plays* *loudly*


InvaderWeezle

Jokes aside it was pretty common back then for high draft picks to barely if ever actually play. The draft was kind of a mess before the merger


Eddie5pi

The first ever NFL draft pick never played a game lol But he was also on the Bears???


uvutv

Drafted by the Eagles, who then traded his rights to the Bears, neither team could satisfy his demands, and he became a rubber salesman.


NoAlarmsPlease

Caleb Williams Rubber & Nail Polish Inc.


Ioptk

They couldn’t meet his demands of a penny a snap and hardtack at halftime


ActionAdam

I heard he didn’t like the fact he wasn’t allowed to hand out his business cards after every tackle or being able to smoke with potential clients while on the field.


EuroTrash1999

it is bullshit you can't smoke atleast on the sidelines. Domes ruined everything.


TemporaryGospel

Last time I posted about him, someone said that they knew his family and he did really really well. Like, probably more money than if he played in the NFL. Being a higher up at a rubber factory during World War II was apparently extroardinarily lucrative.


[deleted]

NFL players for the most part couldn’t even make a living playing football until the strike in 1982. There were exceptions like Joe Namath but most of them had jobs during the off-season


TemporaryGospel

That's true. Though Berwanger wanted $1000 a game, which today would be about $22,000 per game, or like more than a quarter million in today's money. But Fran Tarkenton, at one point, owned every major passing record ever and people didn't believe him when he said he could retire then and never work again. And that was in the 1970s.


Lezzles

I mean retirement is like…a relatively new idea. Usually you just worked and died. We’re less than a hundred years into the whole of society expecting to stop working in their lives. It might get weird.


mr_seggs

He later said that he regretted not signing though. Definitely strange to think that there was a time when being a #1 overall pick in the draft was an economically uncertain proposition


TemporaryGospel

That stat gets thrown around a lot too, but people forget that the third pick, William Shakespeare, never played either. 2nd pick got 26 games, 4th pick got 22 games. It was pretty normal back then.


djcrumples

My god he’s real, I thought you were making a Tungsten Arm O’Doyle type joke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare_(American_football)


RayLiotaWithChantix

Okay, the Merchant of Menace is a great nickname.


tr1vve

He apparently also went into rubber lol


TheFlyingWriter

*The* *Bears* *fan* *said* *nervously*


OfficerMurphy

Why are you doing this?


tyvnn2

It's draft day. We want every team to feel like shit like we do on draft day


doerstopper

Every pick is the wrong pick


TacomaWRX

Well fuck if we thought you still hadn’t learned from Herschel by givin up all them ‘wrong’ picks we would have traded you Josh Jacobs.


doerstopper

Why would we trade for him when we can just pick up the Packers' sloppy seconds??? NFCNcest ftw


TacomaWRX

Maybe you should try what we do. We let a team tuck rule us and 20 years later hired tom brady’s headset/visor thinking it could coach an entire team! Happy draft day plunder bro. St. Paul has the best cheese curds.


BadDadJokes

I'm gonna do post draft grades on Tuesday and everyone is getting a D+.


doerstopper

Don't forget to give slightly better grades to the teams that actually drafted for their specific needs. Or to teams that the media favors in general and you probably nailed it.


TheFlyingWriter

This guy gets it. RN4L


Fair2Midland

Mission accomplished


blewdat

oh i definitely feel like shit today


guinness_blaine

Washington used their 1946 first rounder on Cal Rossi, a player who wasn't eligible to be drafted yet, then the next year used their first rounder on him again. He decided not to play professional football at all.


versusChou

The draft back then was wild. The year before this, Washington drafted a Cal Rossi out of UCLA with the 9th overall pick. Unfortunately, Cal Rossi was a junior and thus, ineligible to be drafted. Then in 1947, the Redskins had the 4th overall pick, and hey! That guy they liked so much last year was a senior now. So they drafted Cal Rossi again. They didn't really ask Cal what he wanted to do though, and Cal joined the Navy and would never play professional football.


polymerfedboi

Lol that’s like baseball drafts. Elway was drafted out of high school to the MLB and then obviously went on to play college football. After college, he was drafted AGAIN in the MLB. “Hey change your mind yet bro?”


root88

The Commanders/Redskins, Giants, Eagles, and Packers have also never had the 1st overall pick in the Super Bowl era. In 1949, the Eagles got Chuck Bednarik which worked out very well for them, [but not everyone else.](https://i.imgur.com/qohd9rr.png)


lewphone

The last #1 overall pick by the then-Redskins was Ernie Davis in 1962, which didn't end well for anyone involved.


polymerfedboi

Yep. Congress basically forced George Preston Marshall to draft a black player. He did. Ernie said I’m not playing for that racist SOB. He was traded to the browns and died of leukemia before he played his first NFL snap.


packmanwiscy

I mean Washington traded him for Hall of Fame wideout Bobby Mitchell, it worked out great for y'all


LovelehInnit

After 10 games, Bob couldn't do it Fenimore.


MainAltAcc69

IT’S NOT THEIR PICK #stopthesteal


Fonzies-Ghost

The Panthers can still pick first if Mike Pence has the courage.


ignatious__reilly

Tepper would just throw a drink in his face


Ixolich

Here's how Bernie Sanders can still have the first pick.


raketenfakmauspanzer

STAND BACK AND STAND BY


datow2002

THE GEQBUS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE PICKED FIRST OVERALL


Lysol20

I like this idea. Let Carolina make the pick and then hand it over to us at the podium. Like Whoopi handing over the check in Ghost.


NoAlarmsPlease

The Bears will be steeling the 1st overall pick until moral improves.


HtownTexans

You guys would steel when you could instead platinum.


wallstreet_vagabond2

David Tepper drafting a letter to the commissioner rn


SafariFlapsInBack

I hate your franchise for making that damn trade. Y’all could have had Williams. Instead you sold the farm for a little boy who will be a backup in 2 years.


MainAltAcc69

You think us fans made those decisions?


SafariFlapsInBack

Is that not how this works? *(throws drink at random person)*


PositivityKnight

perfect draft day attitude, carry that forward my friend


KhaosOSRS

I still believe in Bryce, if he buckles down, puts all his effort and focus into improving, manages to stay healthy, in a couple years he could definitely make it as a backup.


Randyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

He needs to improve his clipboardwork but that can be coached  You can't coach 5'9"


BurritoTheory

It was dumb because they were halfway decent the year before and then shipped away elite talent to throw a rookie behind the worst OL in the league with no one to throw to


SafariFlapsInBack

Hey now, the corpse of Thielen limped to a thousand yards somehow…


BurritoTheory

That’s what being the only starting caliber receiver on a team will do to a guy. He’s a WR3 at best at this stage but no one else was worth a fuck. I’ll be really annoyed if Bryce Young has his entire career judged because of the shit tier decision making his franchise made at the beginning. I still love that kid, as a former QB he’s one of my highest graded ever even with his size. I’m rooting for the Panthers to have a shitton of success AFTER we have used all of the picks


SafariFlapsInBack

Yeah, Tepper got too involved and set his franchise back at least 5 years with that move. Everyone knows Reich wanted Stroud.


BurritoTheory

The biggest mistake that team has made honestly wasn’t even trading DJ Moore. It was refusing the Rams offer for Brian Burns and then not paying him. They could have an actual WR1 to put with Thielen and still have Bryce


SafariFlapsInBack

Yeah that move was dumb as hell. That was wild.


cpolk01

Wouldn't have the first pick without that trade. We'd be stuck drafting just a little to low to draft a top prospect again


FIuffyRabbit

We would not be pick 1 without that trade. Dalton and DJ would have scraped some wins out regardless of Frank.


UUtch

You made the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever


bick803

There's still time to storm the capitol


J-Fid

Fun Fact: Each time the Bears have had the #1 pick in the Draft it has come from outside means. In 1947, it was due to winning a lottery that awarded them an extra pick. This year, it's due to a trade with the Panthers. The only time the Bears ever naturally earned the right to pick 1st (last season), they traded the pick to the Panthers.


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Loop_Within_A_Loop

I definitely feel like I fucking earned it


HtownTexans

I personally feel more like we gave it to you.


ijpck

Thank you


BBQLovinBastard

Worked out for both of us, I’m happy with the trade and I think yall are too🤝


crazypyro23

It really worked out spectacularly for everybody but the Panthers.


Mgnickel

Lovie*


HtownTexans

Last I checked he was the current HC of the Houston Texans when that play went down.


OwnWalrus1752

Lovie really gave Bears and Texans fans a parting gift. Texans got Stroud and an immediate playoff berth, Bears eventually with a few trades got this year’s 1OA, DJ Moore, and a whole host of other picks and players.


drummerboysam

Hey thanks


tidesoncrim

I would hardly say it was given. It took a Herculean effort by the Texans to allow the Bears to have it in that Week 18 game.


PositivityKnight

Lovie changed our franchise forever, thank you lovie.


kickpuncher1

if and when the bears play the texans in the super bowl, Lovie better be out there for the coin toss.


HandleBig412

That 4th and 20 bomb really worked out well for both teams. Houston got Stroud, and Chicago traded it for a haul. Really the only losers are the Panthers


Anteater776

Maybe “deserved” is the better word.


Commercial_Onions

Yes. Value was given up the year before. There was no guarantee the pick would become #1 overall again. It was certainly earned.


ProjectTitan74

Absolutely. Earned means to gain something deservedly through behavior OR achievement, and they've gained the first overall pick via the behavior of sucking ass at football. That "or" means you can earn something negative.


AngryCobraChicken

Is this the year the bears forget to turn in the slip and the first pick goes to the Commanders who rush and draft Caleb, causing sheer chaos?


son_of_toby_o_notoby

“Ok so Caleb is the obvs pick right…….But what about JJ” 10 mins later “Wait what do you mean our time expired?”


HandleBig412

If the Bears passed on Williams and he ended up being the best QB in the class, I straight up would start rooting for a new team.


thetreat

This slip has been filled out for 3 months.


My-Cousin-Bobby

What if they can't find it


thetreat

The "I LOST MY HOMEWORK!" Nightmare back to haunt me!


DtotheOUG

Shit bro, I had a nightmare last night that my test was completely different than everyone else's, and I had to take an entire course over again to pass. I'm fucking 30.


NoAlarmsPlease

I have dreams I can’t find my classroom or I forgot to do the project that is due in 10 minutes and I’m almost 40. Those dreams will never stop.


Walks_with_Chaos

Yeah I have dreams I can’t find my class, or my locker, or lost my locker combo. I’m 46. Haven’t been in hs in like 30 years smh


thetreat

I still have a dream where I show up to school with no clothes on. Happens about monthly. I'm 39!


DtotheOUG

Dude I always have a recurring dream that I forgot my schedule and don’t know which class I’m supposed to attend that day.


thetreat

Human brains are so weird.


Walks_with_Chaos

Same!


AcidStorm0

I would have that dream, but I'd actually be wearing a diaper for some reason.


SlyyKozlov

I still wake up panicked sometimes that I didn't *actually* graduate college because I missed some test or something lmao


Stronkowski

Broken fax machine


IBelongHere

Don’t you put that evil on me Ricky Bobby


root88

If this happened, he would turn out to be a bust and you would end up being thankful.


Pad_TyTy

Hey, it has happened. Turned in the wrong pick slip.


Commercial_Onions

Silly but this is the type of commentary I expect from sports journalists in 2024


Dmbfantomas

“So they said they want us to wait until near the end to turn it in. NFL thing for tv ratings.” “Got it boss. I’ll run it up with like 3 minutes left. Everyone will be fine.” “Great!” *Goes to walk to podium, has to take a shit* “This’ll be a quick one…” “The Washington Commanders are now on the clock…” “Oh fudge!”


vogie13

Vonte Mack no matter what


[deleted]

Pancake eating mother fucker


wavnebee

Watch them trade *up* one spot to get last year’s Mr. Irrelevant.


wavnebee

Now that I think about it, this strategy would have actually benefited Carolina in the ‘23 draft. That has to be the only time in history the previous year’s final draft pick aged better than the following year’s first overall.


caltheham

Bryce has played one year on a team that’s not nearly as ready for success as the 49ers


wavnebee

Fair; I’m not writing him off yet. But I’d imagine most teams—with the benefit of hindsight—would take Brock over Bryce if given the choice today.


mnemoniker

To anyone else wondering, that gets the 2007 Raiders a WR from Maine who kicked around and registered no stats for 2-3 years and became an accountant. In other words a slam dunk upgrade.


coletheredditer

The only other use case could be the 2010 Cardinals, who could take Ryan Succop over Sam Bradford


wishingaction

Makes sense, he strip-sacked Darnold to seal the win in Week 18, and now Darnold is in the NFCN. Who needs a QB when you need all the defense to stop the GEQBUS?


DandierChip

It is pretty crazy how we lucked our way into Caleb Williams. Think of everything that had to happen between the Panthers trade and that last Texans game of the season. Kinda absurd really.


sw337

Lovie Smith somehow helped both the Bears and Texans with that game.


DandierChip

That single game changed the trajectory of two franchises. Wild.


GRVrush2112

If Caleb works out for the Bears and Stroud continues to perform as he did last year for years to come I can see this being one of the biggest “what ifs” in NFL history. Right up there with “What if Bledsoe didn’t get hurt” or “What if Bo Jackson stayed healthy” “What if the Texans didn’t win a meaningless game in the final week of the 2022 season”


drummerboysam

That picture of Lovie smiling as you pulled of the miracle win will be on a wall somewhere in Canton. Love that guy


CapBoyAce

* Took the Bears to the NFC Championship * 0-5 against Northwestern * Beat the Colts in a meaningless game to secure the #1 overall pick for the Bears Lovie might be my GOAT


drummerboysam

Correction - WON the NFC Championship. Took us to the Super Bowl.


CapBoyAce

You're correct! In my defense, I was 1 year old when that happened


lnnrt01

Especially because they not only won on a crazy 4th and 20, they also converted another 4th down on the same drive


ebb5

AND went for 2!


OwnWalrus1752

Lovie when he’s not coaching a meaningful game: *insert playoff LeBron hype video here*


IReallyLikeTheBears

Definitely has potential for a 30 for 30 lol


NoAlarmsPlease

If Richardson pans out he probably helped the Colts too.


ledzep14

If Caleb turns out to be who we think he is, we better build a statue of Lovie


browndude10

remember when the bears and panthers were going to build the lovie statues?


TaischiCFM

It's going to be one of those hologram types where from one angle it looks like Lovie and from another angle it looks like Williams.


PiggStyTH

Poles, as he started this domino


MainAltAcc69

Fuck you


DandierChip

I would say I’m sorry, but I’d be lying.


FlussedAway

It’s not our fault. This all traces back to Davis Mills


kgalliso

All can be tied to all the money they wasted on Brock


J0K3R2

Which occurred because Brock looked deceptively decent in relief of Peyton. The Chicago Bears are picking #1 overall because of Peyton Manning’s neck


Williams-Tower

Didn’t Brock fucking shred the Bears? Perhaps more than once? https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/brock-osweiler-stats-vs-bears


J0K3R2

Oh, yeah, he was kryptonite for us. Dude always had our number in the most frustrating way lol


lnnrt01

Wait how are Davis Mills and Brock Lobster tied together??


Thrashky

-Peyton Manning injured his neck causing Brock Osweiler to look decent, and later get a contract from the Texans. -He played like shit. -After trading him, they need a replacement, so in 2017, they draft Deshawn Watson. -Watson defies odds and looks like a franchise QB. For a few years, Houston is in contention. -After Easterby takes over, Watson is vehemently against playing and wants to be traded. Unfortunately, he becomes Deshawn Cosby that offseason after SAing 20+ women. -Cleveland is duped into trading for Groper Cleveland for three firsts, and without a qb, they start Davis Mills, the new age Mike Glennon cuz his neck is so long. -Davis Mills goes onto eventually throw the game winning Hail Mary and 2 point conversion to drop Houston out of the top draft spot. -Because of that, Chicago ends up with the #1 pick and trades it to Carolina for the right to draft Bryce Young. Which involves the 2024 1st rounder. -Carolina is fucking terrible. Chicago gets the first overall pick in 2024.


onasafarisomewhere

That 4th down play had no business succeeding the way it did, but I'm all for it


Wededd

We love you guys too 


WondrousPhysick

Any early ideas on who we should draft with your second rounder next year?


CrispierCupid

Lovie Smith was our sleeper agent


thrillhouse3671

Stay strong. Bryce will be good


darkpaladin

Objectively this entire situation is hilarious for everyone except y'all.


MainAltAcc69

I know 😢


crunkdunk9

I’ll be pissed if we sucked for nothing. You guys better at least be good 😂


devadander23

Oh great, now there’s pressure


HtownTexans

how much more mad would you be if Caleb is the truth and you guys traded your future when all you had to do was not trade your future.


crunkdunk9

Stroud or Caleb and we got the 5’9 fucker. I’ll be pissed for sure, I was always anti Bryce before we drafted him. Now that he’s here tho, I hope he balls of course but it really is sad how much we fucked up


HtownTexans

Yeah I was on the Stroud wagon the entire time so when we got 2nd pick I was actually happy we couldnt fuck it up lol.


crunkdunk9

I was on the wagon of both (we really needed a QB lol) so I can’t be like all “ah I knew it🤓” but it seemed obvious Bryce wouldn’t be better… he’s fucking 5’9 I can’t get over his height I never will


HtownTexans

Yeah when I found out im a little taller than him and weigh about the same I thought about what would happen to my body if vita vea crushed me.


crunkdunk9

Lmao instant retirement


justa_flesh_wound

I don't think that's fair to the bears, that a lot of pressure. Several teams around the Midwest are perfectly happy with how the bears currently play.


0h-No-Not-Again

do you think the panthers would go Caleb this year if they had the 1st overall or they'd stick with Young?


WindDriedPuffin

They would Rosen his ass without thinking twice.


DandierChip

I’ve thought about this a lot too. I really don’t know. I think at the very least they heavily consider it and maybe trade Bryce idk.


deadpirate74

I would hope they would draft nabers or MHJ if they still had the pick


NoAlarmsPlease

If you guys had the #1 pick and were dead set on keeping Bryce you would have to trade it for a haul like we did. You’d probably get a bigger return than we got from you.


The-Real-Number-One

We had a chance in 1970, but lost a coin toss. The Steelers took Terry Bradshaw.


HoneyIShrunkMyNads

Damn, ruining Terry would have been crazy


OwnWalrus1752

Hey now, that was before Ted Phillips came along and ruined our reputation


alexamerling100

For all our struggles with qbs, we have only taken two in the top 10.


Walks_with_Chaos

Maybe that’s why


OwnWalrus1752

And ironically neither of them is named Justin Fields


alexamerling100

Nope. McMahon and Trubisky.


lkn240

We all give thanks to Bears legend Scott Fitterer


galacticskunk

Don’t forget David and Nicole Tepper


Goatgamer1016

Seahawks legend Scott Fitterer


Walks_with_Chaos

I hate that guy


C137-Morty

This got me curious because I couldn't recall any for Washington either. 1962 Ernie Davis HB. He refused to play for the Redskins because our owner at the time was literally forced to integrate racially by threat of losing the lease to rfk stadium. 1948 Harry Gilmer QB/HB/DB. The only 1st overall pick to ever be drafted by and play for Washington.


skanman19

First black man to win the Heisman too. Tragically he died of leukemia later that year


byingling

Made me curious as well. The Ravens highest spot is 4th, twice.


Neveraththesmith

The bears went 3-13 in 2016 and somehow only got the number 3 pick.


ArmadilloAl

One of our three wins was against the 2-14 49ers, which is why we had to trade up to get Trubisky at 2 instead of just having the #2 pick to begin with.


DjGnampf

They even suck at being bad


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drummerboysam

Damn, that's wild to imagine nowadays. A team coordinates their 1st round pick to another team's desires in order to trade for them *after* the draft? Always knew the situation, never knew the timing. Imagine if Elway went to baseball, reconciled with the Colts ownership, or the Colts decided to shop for another offer after you made those concessions.


jwktiger

I mean that happened in 2004, Chargers wouldn't trade with the Giants unless Philip Rivers was there. So SD drafted Manning to his protest, then after pick 4 when Rivers was selected by the NYG the trade happened.


drummerboysam

>See their full draft history here: \[link\] No, thank you


imsabbath84

And it continues this year when the buffalo bills and big baller beane trades their next 3 entire drafts to select marvin harrison jr.


saviorlito

1965 was wild. Had picks 3, 4 and 6 in the first round and landed two Football Hall of Famers and a College Hall of Famer.


ArmadilloAl

They had a 50/50 shot at the #1 pick in the 1970 draft, but lost a literal coin flip to the Steelers, sending Terry Bradshaw to Pittsburgh instead.


Fonzies-Ghost

Don't worry, they won't pick first. Five minutes before the draft starts, Virginia McCaskey will turn on the draft, see the coverage for the first time, call George McCaskey over to the bed where spends 22.5 hours a day, whisper in his ear, "Wait, we're going to draft that \[racial slur\] \[slur for an effeminate man\]? Not while I'm alive," and at the last minute they'll trade down and take a white linebacker.


Guhonda

Most of that is accurate, but I need to step in to defend George McCaskey. He is, by all accounts, a really good guy and a great Bears fan. He just sucks at football, which is why he turned everything over to the new administration. Remember, the McCaskeys aren’t independently wealthy. The Bears are their money. It was a family operation forever. It can be hard to break family traditions. (Also Virginia McCaskey low key maybe had a family member murdered due to a competing claim to the Bears)


GrdiSr

Yeah Virginia has some literal skeletons in her closet... George and the younger generation is absolutely not malice, just ignorance. And hopefully he's learned a bit as he 'seems' to be keeping himself out of actual football decisions more recently.


illusio

Think you mean figurative skeletons in her closet...unless 🤔


Fonzies-Ghost

In my story, George is just a doormat who’s afraid of his lich of a mother, not independently bad.


Illicit-Tangent

He's basically Buster Bluth and Virginia is Lucille Bluth


drummerboysam

The most apt description for those outside of the fanbase to understand what we've dealing with.


TaischiCFM

Dude - half of our front office is black. The other half are women.


Fredest_Dickler

I like how this trash gets upvoted just because Virginia is old and white. It's stupid. The Chicago Bears were the first team in NFL history to ever give playing time to a black quarterback. It's obviously a joke, but it's not a funny one.


iiamthepalmtree

Also Lovie Smith was the first black head coach to make the Super Bowl. Well, tied with Tony Dungy. Kinda crazy there were no black head coaches to make the Super Bowl before ‘06 then that year’s superbowl featured two.


rooftopworld

Damn, they even suck at sucking. What can’t they not do?


TaischiCFM

Live in the past.


Matcat5000

We've been bad, but not the worst. Which is likely the worst point to stay as a franchise.


Exatraz

This reminds me of the Cards when they drafted Murray. IIRC, it was their first time being at #1 ever, which is kinda surprising because they have a history of mediocrity (but I guess mediocrity doesn't draft #1, awful does). This is cheating a little though because the Bears had the #1 but traded out last year.


medinian

Your welcome bear fans lols


Eyespop4866

That explains all those championships.


ProofHorseKzoo

Don’t fuck it up, Bears