Chicago Bears’ Trestman and Emery: “We Got Tremendous Value” in Marquess Wilson

Sep 14, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Marquess Wilson (86) runs for an 81 yard touchdown pass against the UNLV Rebels during the second quarter against the UNLV Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears were of course not overplaying the pickup of Washington State’s Marquess Wilson, but it was pretty clear they were a little bit shocked that he fell to them at pick number 236 in the 7th Round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

In the press conference afterwards, general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman spoke two words more than any others about the entire draft class; “Character” and “competition”. It’s a little bit telling that he lasted until so late in the draft, but the comments made specifically about Marquess also say something about him. It’s conceivable that the Bears would have looked at him much earlier if they had more than five picks to work with, but as it is they sound elated that he reached them and feel he fits right into the roster.

Head coach Marc Trestman

"And then giving Marquess a chance, a second opportunity to restart his career with a big upside. We feel he’s come into a locker room with great leadership and guys who can show him the way.I wouldn’t consider it a red flag, I might consider a young guy making a very, very small mistake that put him in a position that got him in trouble… He’s a good kid with a big upside. He’s come to the right place. He’s come to a locker room where we got players and coaches that’ll set him straight right from the beginning and get him going the right direction.It’s an exciting opportunity for us to grow a young man to allow him to mature off the field as well as on it. The upside as a talent, we’re very excited about it.He’s got size, he’s got speed. He’s productive during the times that he’s played and we felt we got tremendous value picking him up today in the 7th round."

General Manager Phil Emery

"We definitely did our due-diligence and we felt like at the point in the draft, that a person with this kind of talent deserved a second chance. His biggest sin is he walked off. He made a young decision, he’s not quite 20. We felt really comfortable that this was a good person who made an immature decision. He’s owned up to the decision, he’s ready to roll, we’re very excited he’s a Chicago Bear."