The Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys square off tonight in a game that pits two teams, headed in seemingly opposite directions, against each other.
The Cowboys are a surprising 8-4 and could be headed to their first winning season since 2009.
The Bears are an equally as surprising 5-7 and seem destined to miss the playoffs as they careen headlong toward an offseason of potential change and uncertainty.
The common thread between these two teams and their surprising records is, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune, the draft, and one team's ability to successfully evaluate, procure and develop young talent, and one team's frighteningly consistent draft misses.
"Currently, only three Bears are draft picks of the club on a contract beyond a rookie deal - running back Matt Forte, linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman. Briggs and Tillman are on season-ending injured reserve. That is at the heart of the problem for the organization. There is a lack of homegrown talent and it has forced Emery down many other avenues to build the team," Biggs wrote.
Standing in stark contrast to the recent run of poor drafting by the Bears has been the ability of the Cowboys to turn their own picks into quality players who stick in the league and with the team through their rookie deals and into their second NFL contracts.
"In comparison, the Cowboys have six draft picks on second or beyond contracts - tight end Jason Witten, offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Doug Free, defensive end Anthony Spencer, cornerback Orlando Scandrick and linebacker Sean Lee. Quarterback Tony Romo doesn't count as an undrafted free agent. Wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray soon could join the list," Biggs wrote
Bryant and Murray are less a "could" and more a "will," so you can add two more names to the list of players drafted by the Cowboys almost assured to stick with the team well into their professional careers.
Thankfully for Bears fans, many of the Chicago draft failures can be traced back to Jerry Angelo and don't fall at the feet of current general manager Phil Emery.
But if Emery and head coach Marc Trestman are to turn around the fortunes of the struggling Bears franchise, they'll need to start by drafting more players like receiver Alshon Jeffery, guard Kyle Long and cornerback Kyle Fuller, and continue finding ways to develop the talent they do bring into the fold into Pro Bowl-caliber players.
