The thing to remember is that the Bears once had the No. 1 pick in the draft Thursday.
They don’t anymore, having traded it to the Panthers for receiver D.J. Moore and four picks in the next three drafts.
It was a nice haul. When the deal was consummated in mid-March, general manager Ryan Poles was thrilled with himself, saying about the current and future picks, ‘‘I couldn’t be happier about that.’’
Getting Moore, who already has 5,201 receiving yards in his five-year career, made Poles all but dance about.
‘‘I was over the moon about that,’’ he said.
Yes, maybe the cow is dancing with the spoon. After all, how often does a team get a chip such as the No. 1 draft choice with which to barter?
The Bears now (hopefully) can fill their many needs at offensive line, defensive line, blitzing linebacker, cornerback, on and on. They have the Nos. 9, 53, 61, 64, 103, 133, 136, 148, 218 and 258 to work with.
And do not scoff at picks in the 100s. Hall of Famers Deacon Jones, Harold Carmichael, Winston Hill, Joe Klecko, Steve Largent, Kevin Greene and Harry Carson, among others, were taken in the 100s.
So was still-active Eagles center Jason Kelce, a five-time All-Pro. Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, who has made the Pro Bowl in each of his seven seasons, went No. 165 in the 2016 draft. And there was a guy named Tom Brady who went No. 199 back in 2000.
For the Bears, just remember that Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent blew right out of the 100s, finally going at No. 203. Guard Mark Bortz, his Super Bowl champion teammate, went at No. 219.
Yes, a lot of those picks came long ago. And, yes, scouting has improved constantly, so sleepers are far less likely to startle us. Johnny Unitas at No. 102 (Steelers, 1955) just ain’t happening again.
Having said that, there’s 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the 262nd and final pick of the draft last year. Nobody really wanted ‘‘Mr. Irrelevant,’’ but there he was, so the 49ers took him.
How did Purdy do when thrust into action because of injuries to the quarterbacks ahead of him? He went 7-0 as a starter, including two playoff victories, until tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow — which made him unable to throw a football more than 10 yards — in the NFC Championship Game.
So, yes, there still are some studs flying under the radar. You just need sensitive instruments to find them. And you need skilled and relentless talent appraisers.
If they’re very good, Poles and his staff can build a very good football team with the hand they’ve been dealt. The trickle-down from having that No. 1 pick is large and fertile.
Just don’t forget the Bears got the No. 1 pick by being terrible. Such is the way the NFL guarantees parity: The worse you are, the higher you draft. The Bears went 3-14 last season, edging out the Texans (3-13-1) in the pulse-pounding race for worst team in the NFL. Thus, the prize.
The key after such badness is to go from terrible to excellent, without stopping at kinda good. Kinda good is where a lot teams linger and die.
Here’s the tricky part for the Bears: Can they do that?
So much depends on third-year quarterback Justin Fields, whom the Bears believe in totally. They have to be right about him and his skills. He has to be the leader they’ve coveted for decades, the one to lead them out of the darkness.
Indeed, for Bears fans, the draft Thursday is more intriguing than most of the Bears’ recent games. It all comes back to that No. 1 pick they once had.
What if they blew it by trading that away? What if all they needed to do was move down to No. 2, No. 3 or No. 7 to get a generational talent that might be lurking there? What if their best bet was to stand pat?
The Panthers likely are going to take one of two quarterbacks, Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, with that top pick. There are other quarterbacks out there who might be Hall of Famers-in-waiting.
If one of them is a young Brady or Peyton Manning (No. 1, 1998) and the Bears didn’t get him because they dealt their chance, how will we all feel then?
Hold on to your chips, folks. Here we go.
