It was a bright sunny day in 1998. Many Bear fans expected Paul Tagligbue to step to the podium and announce the Chicago Bears had traded the 5th pick in the draft for several picks in the first round. Picks that could have been Pro Bowlers Grant Wistrom, Fred Taylor, or Randy Moss. Instead, Commissioner Tagligbue announced that the Chicago Bears, with the fifth pick in the 1998 draft, selected Running Back Curtis Enis of Penn State. As Enis stepped to the podium, donning his new Chicago Bears cap and beaming from his brace-filled mouth, I threw a (soft) item at the television. I couldn't believe my eyes. As the 2001 draft is upon us, loyal Bear fans are praying that we don't see a repeat of the organization's performance in the first round on April 18, 1998.

As a result of a dismal 4-12 season in 1997, the Bears held the fifth pick in the 1998 draft. This was the highest the team had drafted since 1982. With that pick, the team selected Jim McMahon, and getting anything close to the Punky QB would be a triumph. In '98, two of the highest touted prospects were Enis and Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss. Unlike the 2001 draft which figures to be wide-open, in 1998 everyone knew exactly how the top five picks would fall. Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were sure to go numbers one and two. Defensive end Andre Wadsworth was sure to go third, followed by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson of Michigan. To the Bears credit, Curtis Enis was the consensus fifth-best player in the draft, and everyone agreed upon this. In February of '98, Chicago signed Edgar Bennett, the durable, all-purpose running back from Green Bay. Most figured this would remove them from the probability of drafting a running back, which left the pick wide o pen.

So in March of '98, it was assured that both Enis and Randy Moss would fall to the Bears at #5. In his first year as VP of Player Personnel, and directing his very first draft, Mark Hatley coveted either Wadsworth or Leaf. Indeed, Chicago needed either a quarterback or a pass rusher. It has been rumored that Hatley and coach Dave Wannstedt offered Arizona a trade of Chicago's 5th pick, plus Curtis Conway and Alonzo Spellman in an effort to trade up for the number 2 selection. The Cardinals instead took San Diego's first and third round selections, plus their 1999 first rounder and additional players to move up to #2 to take Leaf. Thankfully, this didn't work out for the Bears, as three short seasons later, both Leaf and Wadsworth have been absolute busts in the NFL. After the unsuccessful attempt to trade up, the Bears turned their attention to Moss and Enis.