Mike Wallace expected Chicago

[Wakacha]

RealGM Football: Wiretap Archives: Mike Wallace Expected To Be Drafted By Chicago

ESPN.com - Mike Wallace will play in the Super Bowl as a member of the Steelers on Sunday, but he felt the Bears were going to draft him.

Wallace attracted plenty of attention from Chicago prior to the 2009 NFL Draft.

"I used to talk to them the most out of any team," he said. "I was always in contact with the team. It just seemed like that was the most interested team. But I guess not."

Multiple teams told Wallace he'd be selected in the second round, but the wide receiver remained on the board until pick No. 84.

"The draft is some BS, that's how I feel about it," Wallace said. "When you talk to teams and they were like, 'You're not going any later than the second round,' like I said, I feel like it's some BS. It is what it is. I don't care about the draft. The draft was two years ago, I play for the Steelers now."

So close, yet so far away. Yet another draft mistake

 

[waldo7239117]

JA doesn't draft needs.

 

[WearShades]

When a lot of teams don't draft a player who turns out to be pretty good, it's hard to blame any one of those teams considering there was something bad that many different talent evaluators saw. However, when a team has as serious interest in a player as that article says the Bears did, you can hold the GM accountable. Wallace is the best receiver in his draft class and nobody on the current Bears roster is even half the receiver he is.

 

[USCChiFan]

You never know how he would've turned out if he was drafted by the Bears instead of the Steelers.

 

[WearShades]

You never know how he would've turned out if he was drafted by the Bears instead of the Steelers.

That doesn't mean they shouldn't have drafted him. Wallace isn't just some 3rd round pick made good, he's a 3rd round pick the Bears expressed significant interest in and then passed on in favor of trading back for Gilbert.

 

[ClydeLee]

Instead they drafted Iglesias and Johnny Knox. He sure has looked a lot better than Knox this year and has the same speed range but height to grab and fight for balls. Who knows how good Wallace would be if it was the Bears who had him instead and having him forced to be the top WR option. The Steelers still have the great aid of Ward even if he wound up with less catches this year.

He probably would be better than Knox.

They didn't pass him up by trading back, they still could of drafted him but took Gilbert. Obviously they were high on some other WR's as well, Iglesias/Knox and it probably made them feel like Wallace wasn't as important.