"Close to 50 percent of the picks in the first round are busts, and of those who are not, about half of them become rank-and-file players," Angelo [Jerry Angelo-Bears G.M.] said.
Some of the problems with first-rounders, as Angelo sees it:
Expectations are unrealistically high. If a first-round pick is anything less than All-Pro, he often is labeled a "bust."
They are paid an inordinate amount of money that many never justify. There is talk of a rookie wage scale being part of the next collective bargaining agreement, and that would address this issue.
A large percentage of first-rounders are juniors, and many of them are not ready to play in the NFL. This year as many as 17 underclassmen could be taken in the first round more than half of the selections.
With the way coaches and schemes change so frequently, first-round picks often are obsolete by the time they figure out what they are doing.
There is a large group of players, maybe 25, who could be considered late first-rounders or early second-rounders. There isn't much difference between the best and the worst in the group, and the ones picked in the second round will be more affordable and face lower expectations.
Injuries that can't be predicted can derail the careers of first-round draft picks. It has happened to the Bears repeatedly.
