The 2020 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, with the Chicago Bears not having a selection until the second round. Therefore, it's a perfect time to reflect on Chicago's best draft picks over the years of their franchise's existence.
When looking at the Bears' history of draft picks, they haven't had much success finding quarterbacks. On the other hand, they did a formidable job of finding talented running backs.
For the most part, most of Chicago's best draft picks came on the defensive side of the ball. More specifically, the linebacker position, where they had an endless amount of players that were extremely successful in the NFL. With that being said, here are the best draft picks in Bears history.
5. Lance Briggs
As previously mentioned, the Bears have had an abundance of All-Pro linebackers over the years. Going all the way back to the 1960s, Dick Butkus was a hard-hitting linebacker that was a five-time All-Pro and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Another draft pick that the Bears could consider a success was when they selected Lance Briggs with the No. 68 pick of the 2003 NFL Draft. Despite being a third-round pick, Briggs immediately became a leader on Chicago's defense.
The Arizona product would spend his entire 12-year career with the Bears, recording 1,181 combined tackles and 16 interceptions. Furthermore, Briggs' 944 solo tackles are the second-most in Chicago's history. Regardless of whether he makes the Hall of Fame or not, Briggs was a legend for the Bears.
4. Richard Dent
Besides the linebacker positions, the Bears have also had quite a few defensive linemen that have panned out. Of course, a fan favorite was William “The Refrigerator” Perry, who was an absolute wrecking ball on offense and defense during his career.
While Perry did damage in the interior, Richard Dent was a tactician off of the edge. The Bears would select Dent with the No. 203 pick in the 1983 NFL Draft out of Tennessee State.
As a late-round pick, Dent would earn his keep pretty quickly, racking up 17.5 sacks in just his second season in the NFL. Altogether, Dent would amass a total of 124.5 sacks (most all-time in Chicago's history) in his career with the Bears. The former eighth-round pick would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
3. Brian Urlacher
The common theme of the Bears is that the vast majority of their best draft picks came on the defensive side of the ball. That is due to Chicago being able to draft players like Brian Urlacher, who was extremely consistent for the Bears.
To begin a new decade, the Bears selected Urlacher with the No. 9 pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. Coming out of New Mexico, Urlacher would become the anchor of Chicago's defense once he stepped foot on the field.
The eight-time Pro Bowler would finish his 13 seasons with the Bears having made 1,361 combined tackles, 41.5 sacks, and 22 interceptions. In addition to his Defensive Player of the Year Award, Urlacher was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
2. Mike Singletary
When breaking it down, it's tough to decide who the greatest all-time linebacker for the Bears was. There's an argument to be had for quite a few guys, but none of them were as dominant as Mike Singletary.
In the early 1980s, the Bears selected Singletary with the No. 38 pick of the 1981 NFL Draft out of Baylor. For linebackers in general, there aren't many that were as fearless as Singletary.
Even though they didn't record tackles during his playing career, he was always around the football. While they didn't record tackles, Singletary made 10 Pro Bowls, was a seven-time All-Pro, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and he helped Chicago win their lone Super Bowl in 1985.
1. Walter Payton
Finally, an offensive player makes the list for the Bears and it's one of the best players to ever play in the NFL. Dating back to the 1960s, Chicago once had Gale Sayers terrorizing opposing defenses at running back.
Then, just a few years after Sayers retired in 1971, the Bears drafted Walter Payton with the No. 4 pick of the 1975 NFL Draft. With his nickname being “Sweetness”, Payton was elusive and was nearly unstoppable when the ball was in his hands.
After 13 seasons with the Bears, Payton finished with 16,726 rushing yards and 110 rushing touchdowns. Payton was a five-time All-Pro and one-time NFL MVP. Above all, Payton is Chicago's all-time leading rusher and is the second all-time leading rusher in NFL history.
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