Chicago Bears first round wide receivers are cursed. Is that a little over the top? Well maybe that’s because history says it’s warranted. It’s impossible to know what the problem is. For some reason this franchise tends to project a dark cloud over ultra-talented young receivers whenever they take them early in a draft. There is now a growing fear the same is happening to Kevin White.
Before getting into that though, it’s important to illustrate the point. In their franchise history, the Bears have selected five wide receivers in the first round of a draft. The first one came in 1983. Understand that the draft began in 1936. So that gives loud and clear signals of how long it took them to properly value the position. Either that or they felt quality players could be found later on.
One thing is for sure, their misfortune at the position was apparent almost from the start. Here is a quick rundown of each first rounder prior to White and what they accomplished in Chicago.
Willie Gault (18th overall, 1983)
In terms of his impact, Gault was actually a decent pick. He played his role of vertical threat well for five seasons and helped the Bears win Super Bowl XX. Unfortunately he left after 1987 and spent the rest of his career elsewhere.
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Wendell Davis (27th overall, 1987)
Davis played five seasons in Chicago and had what amounted to one solid year in 1991 when he put up 945 yards. Aside from that he was a very average receiver. The curse showed its first signs not too long after when he suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in NFL history when he ruptured the patella tendon in both knees during a game in Philadelphia. He retired at 28-years old.
Curtis Conway (7th overall, 1993)
Probably the most successful first round pick the Bears ever made at the position, which isn’t saying much. Conway got off to a slow start through his first two seasons but broke out in 1995 and 1996 with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Then the injuries started. Over his final three seasons with the team he missed 17 total games.
David Terrell (8th overall, 2001)
Probably the most notorious bust in Bears history at the position. Terrell came in with plenty of hype in 2001 as the man who’d help open up a dormant passing game. He flashed a few nice plays as a rookie but was almost a non-factor for most of his four-year run in Chicago. It didn’t help he missed 11 games in 2002 with an injury. He never cracked 700 yards or five touchdowns once in his career.
Sense a running theme? Except for Gault the other three Bears first round receivers were often derailed by frequent injury problems. By now this must be starting to sound familiar to fans given what White has gone through the past two seasons.
Kevin White doesn’t have history on his side
The great irony of Bears history is that their best receivers were all taken outside the first round. Alshon Jeffery and Bobby Engram were second rounders. Marty Booker was a third rounder, Dick Gordon a seventh and Johnny Morris a 12th. Run down the list of top pass catchers in team history and the first round is almost never mentioned.
So here Kevin White sits. The young man has played four of a possible 32 games through the first two years of his NFL career. No one is saying it’s impossible for him to still realize his potential. Anything is possible in the NFL. At the same time the pressure has to be unbearable. Not only is he now up against the draft bust label, which is bad enough. He’s also expected to take on an even greater role with Alshon Jeffery gone.
It’s a rather unique situation. No notable receiver in recent history dating back to 2000 was taken in the first round and suffered multiple setbacks like this. It’s truly uncharted territory. Throw all this curse talk on top of it and it’s not fun being him right now.
The team remains confident and hopeful he’ll get things going in 2017. Word is both legs are healthy. Whether he can get his conditioning right and finally start mastering a complex route system in time to save his career? Only time will tell.
