Much to the guffaw of many Chicago Bears fans, the team selected University of Oregon lineman Kyle Long with the 20th pick in the 2013 NFL draft. However, GM Phil Emery now admits he picked the wrong Long.
“Well, I thought I was picking Howie,” Emery said of the Hall of Fame defensive lineman, who is now a football commentator for Fox NFL Sunday.
Howie is the father of Kyle Long, the player the Bears actually selected.
“I watched Howie on television last fall and I swear he told Jimmy Johnson he was going to re-enter the NFL draft, so when I saw he was still on the board at Number 20, I jumped at the chance to get him.”
Emery said he also considered selecting Jerry Rice Jr., Notre Dame’s George Atkinson III and Nate Montana. But in the end, here decided to sign free agent running back Jarrett Payton instead.
