"What If...": Re-doing the 1986 Draft

by Dane Noble on Mar 27, 2009 11:00 AM CDT

They say that hind-sight is always 20/20... and it's always fun to second-guess decisions made by the folks in charge. A ton of time has been spent pouring over the choices our great football team has made... sometimes, we hit the nail on the head. Other times, we cry out "What were they thinking?!"

We'd all agree that the Chicago Bears had a pretty good football team in 1985... and a pretty good season. Let's take a look at what we did in the draft after the Super Bowl win... and what we didn't do. This week's spotlight is on the draft of 1986.

Round 1: Neal Anderson, RB, Florida

I don't think too many people would argue that pick. Neal was named to 4 Pro Bowls, and did pretty well considering the shoes he was called on to fill after Walter Payton retired.

The only other Pro Bowl running backs that were drafted in 1986 were Dalton Hilliard, selected by the Saints in the 2nd round, and Vai Sikahema, selected in the 10th round by the St. Louis Cardinals (although he was mainly successful as a KR).

In the 2nd round, the Bears went with Vestee Jackson, CB from Washington. Jackson started in 16 games in each of his 5 years with the Bears. The only Pro Bowl defensive back on the board when the Bears made this pick was David Fulcher, who was selected in the 3rd round by the Bengals.

Our remaining picks were: 3rd round- David Williams (WR), 4th round- Paul Blair (OT), 5th round- Lew Barnes (WR), 6th round- Jeff Powell (RB), 7th round- Bruce Jones (DB), 8th round- Maurice Douglass (DB), 9th round- John Teltschik (P), 10th round- Barton Hundley (DB), and 11th round- Glen Kozlowski (WR)

The Pro Bowlers that Chicago passed on, from the 3rd round on, were Pat Swilling (LB), John Taylor (WR), Tim Harris (DE), Charles Haley (DE), Steve Wallace (OT), Mark Rypien (QB), Ray Brown (OG), Clyde Simmons (DE), and Seth Joyner (LB).

Overall, I would say that this was a very successful draft. But, what if we had picked up any of the Pro Bowlers that we passed on? Would we have seen a better foundation for our transition into the early 90's?

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Looking at the names of Pro Bowlers we passed on.

I’m intrigued by what might have been if we had gotten John Taylor. Would the niners have been as good with out Taylor opposite of Jerry Rice? I also think Charles Haley would’ve been a good pick up as well. But like you said hindsight is 20/20. I loved Neal Anderson and yes he had some really big shoes to fill and I think he did a fine job.

If things came easy, then everybody would be great at what they did, let's face it.
Mike Ditka
Catch Phrase of the day: YAAAAAAAY! <---- Courtesy of ChiFan13.

by Ditkavsworld on Mar 27, 2009 11:29 AM CDT reply actions

Taylor would have been the pick

to make as McKinnon was gone that year. After Gault and Gentry, the other receivers were Margerum and Keith Ortego. A Taylor, Gault, Gentry trio would have been pretty solid for McMahon and probably would have created a more lively passing game. Defensively, I think the Bears still had a pretty good core and decided not to draft there – same with OL. Neal Anderson was solid … maybe underrated?

by junkhorse on Mar 27, 2009 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Rec'd

Great post GB.

I'M A MAN! I'M 22!

by ChiFan13 on Mar 27, 2009 11:42 AM CDT reply actions

Rec'd

Agreed. Very good read.

by tripsevens on Mar 27, 2009 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks for the wrecks fellers. :)

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious. (Vince Lombardi)

by Dane Noble on Mar 27, 2009 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions

did pretty well considering the shoes he was called on to fill

Amen to that (on both counts).

by Spongie on Mar 27, 2009 12:04 PM CDT reply actions

#35 was the man...

I ran into him at bar in Chicago in 2003. I bought him a drink and we chatted for 5-10 minutes. He was happy to be a Bear, and loves Chicago. He said Walter Payton was the most genuine person he had ever met or played with. Neal was a cool guy, and he loved his vodka tonics!

by Bearsguy34 on Mar 27, 2009 12:47 PM CDT reply actions

I loved Neal Anderson.

He was a bad man!

Passion For The Game, Loyal To The Name, Chicago Bears, I Trust In Thee, Standing Strong Since 1983.

by Haightminow on Mar 27, 2009 6:12 PM CDT reply actions

I don't know...

Overall, I would say that this was a very successful draft.

We had 11 picks in that draft, and we only found two starters (Anderson and Jackson). How could that be graded out as successful? Only two other players (Douglas and Kozlowski) really contributed to the roster.

"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that.

We know it's the most valuable position on the football team. We've gone through so many scenarios at that position we can write a book, moreso on what not do."

-- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
.

by SackMan on Mar 27, 2009 11:56 PM CDT reply actions

I mainly consider this a successful draft

because we got 4 pro bowls, and a surprisingly effective successor to the greatest running back of all time, out of the last pick in the 1st round.

Side note: we did get a KR td from Lew Barnes his rookie season :p

Dude, for serious? 1986 was 23 years ago.
Can we drop it?
-halfblindcubbiegirl

by Dane Noble on Mar 28, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Neal Anderson

My Favorite Neal Anderson run was in 1988 when he made Darrell Green # 28 the fastest man in the NFL of the Redskins look like he was running in sand trying to catch Neal

MANDO

by THE FRIDGE on Mar 29, 2009 6:36 PM CDT reply actions

Vai Sikahema's other ability...

Vai also managed to knock the living pis out of Jose Canseco a few months ago in a celebrity boxing thing. It looked like a body builder fighting a dwarf, but Vai knocked him around pretty good. Wouldn’t normally care, but Canseco is such a douchebag that it was kinda fun to watch…

Also, as good as Haley was, he was also kind of a head case, so maybe it’s best we passed on him. We’ve had enough issues with mentally-defective DE’s.

A teacher in Milwaukee asked her 3rd grade class if they were all Packer fans. They all raised their hands except one little boy who said he was a
Bears fan. The teacher asked him why, and he replied that his parents were Bears fans. "Well that's no reason to like a team," snappped the teacher, a long time Green Bay fan. "What if your parents didn't know anything about football or they were just plain dumb?" The boy looked up at her and smiled. "Then obviously they'd be Packers fans."

by JerBear50 on Mar 30, 2009 8:16 PM CDT reply actions