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5 Bears Draft Picks Who Are Officially Busts After 2024 Season

The Bears have hit on some players in recent drafts, but have also missed completely on others.

By Charlie Smith

Oct 1, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; The Chicago Bears huddle up during a game against the Denver Broncos at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; The Chicago Bears huddle up during a game against the Denver Broncos at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
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The best teams in the NFL typically are the ones who draft the best and develop their players. We have all seen the big spenders in free agency who end up being a huge disappointment. With that being said, every team misses on some players who they deemed to be great at the next level.

For every Richard Dent or Shannon Sharpe found in the draft, there are tons of Jamarcus Russells or Kevin Whites. The fact of the matter is that an overwhelming amount of draft picks will simply not pan out or ever come close to their potential in the NFL.

The Chicago Bears, if put into a great-drafting organization or a terrible-drafting organization box, would likely fall on the terrible side. This is especially true of the last 10 years or so as the team has not produced any top-of-the-league guys outside of perhaps Jaylon Johnson.

With the draft being the next big part of the offseason, let's take a look at the last five years and slap the bust label on five of the Bears' draft picks.

1. Justin Fields QB - 2021 Round 1, Pick 11

Bears Twitter (X?) can still be split on the Justin Fields conversation and it may always be that way. He had more support in the city than most quarterbacks of the team have ever had. The question is, why?

Arguments can be made until you are blue in the face that he was not surrounded by the best talent or coaches, but at the end of the day he was not a very good quarterback in Chicago.

In three seasons with the Bears, Fields had 6,674 yards passing and 40 touchdowns. He did add 2,220 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns, but this city has never had a need for the next great running back. His completion percentage never eclipsed 61% and he won only 10 games in three seasons. Again, the coaching and players around were not world-beaters, but he did not elevate anyone's game either.

Any quarterback drafted in the first round who does not get a second contract with the team is a bust on most occasions. If Fields was drafted by a better organization and had the opportunity to sit and learn, he may have had a better start to his career. Unfortunately for him and the Bears, he is not a player that can save a franchise.

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