Character, skill shape Chicago’s top pick

By Julie Eguchi  |   Sunday, May 14, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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When Chicago Bears' GM Jerry Angelo selected Danieal Manning with the organization's first pick in the 2006 draft, the move left a lot of fans (and quite a few analysts) scratching their heads. That's because Manning was a relatively unknown cornerback/safety from Abilene Christian University, a Division II school that hadn't produced an NFL draft pick in 21 years. But that stat obviously didn't deter Chicago from rolling the dice on Manning with the 42nd overall pick. Angelo defended his choice by saying that Manning possesses a combination of skill and character that he believes will serve the Bears well in the years to come.

Looking at the numbers, it appears that Manning was a second-round steal. He played three seasons at ACU, and was the heart and soul of the Wildcats' defense during that span. Manning started all three years for ACU, racking up a total of 159 tackles in 30 career games. He also contributed to the team as an explosive return specialist. Manning averaged 12.8 yards per punt return and 26.8 yards per kickoff return as a junior in the 2005 season. And he was no stranger to the end zone, either. Manning scored 10 touchdowns in his collegiate career, with five coming on special teams, four on defensive plays, and one on an offensive pass reception.

As far as character is concerned, the Chicago Bears are getting a young man who is both humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to play in the NFL. That's because Manning took a rather unconventional route to the professional ranks. Back in February of 2001, Manning was a highly-touted recruit who signed a letter of intent to play at Nebraska.

However, he wasn't able to enroll at the school after he failed to qualify academically. Manning then made the decision to transfer to Abilene Christian, despite the fact that such a move would require him to sit out another full season. Finally in 2003, two full years after graduating from high school, Manning played in his first college game. That Manning was able to persevere in the face of all of these setbacks and succeed after so much initial failure speaks to the intrinsic nature of his character. It is this quality, in addition to the stats, that made him such an attractive pick for the Bears.

But once you look past the feel-good aspect of Chicago's draft selection, you have to wonder if Manning has the tools to make it in the NFL. Sure, his college stats are as good as they come and he could fill a pressing need in the Bears' secondary. However, the impact of all of Manning's tackles, touchdowns, returns, and interceptions is somewhat diminished by the fact that he wasn't playing against top-notch talent. Because Manning is coming out of Division II, his learning curve with the Bears could be even steeper than most incoming rookies are used to, and he might need more time than projected to develop into the player that the Bears' organization envisioned on draft day.

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