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Bear Digest

Naming the Chicago Bears' All-Time NFL Draft Team by Position

The best Bears draft picks for each position based on their performances with the team.
Gene Chamberlain|
Charles Tillman breaks up a pass to Greg Jennings in the 2010 NFC Championship Game.
Charles Tillman breaks up a pass to Greg Jennings in the 2010 NFC Championship Game. | Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

In a sense, the NFL draft came about because of the Chicago Bears.

George Halas' ability and hustle to sign the best players resulted in the league putting in a waiver wire in 1934 and then voting in 1935 to institute the first draft for 1936. So, besides being known as the father of the league and Papa Bear, Halas was the "inspiration" for the draft that led to fair talent distribution.

The Bears haven't always used the draft wisely, and that includes Halas.

He took center Dick Harris in 1949, Tex Schriewer in 1956 and Don Clark in 1959 in the first round, and none even played a game for Chicago. Schriewer and Clark chose play in the CFL, instead, and Schriewer years later confessed to the Tribune that the CFL's Toronto Argonauts paid him $11,000 and Halas only wanted to pay $9,000. Perhaps that's where the Bears' reputation for being cheap had roots.

Harris simply said the heck with football and went into banking. It's probably best to figure out if your first pick even wants to play the game.

Worse, after they lost the coin flip to draft Terry Bradshaw in 1970, Halas let the Packers pick his pocket and traded away the second pick overall for linebacker Lee Roy Caffey, running back Elijah Pitts and center Bob Hyland. Pitts never played for the Bears and Caffey and Hyland played one season each.

Fortunately, Halas could also win in the draft, like in 1965 when they picked Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers back to back.

Here is an all-time Bears drafted team chosen by their exact position, and based on production with only Chicago. There is no position switching. Players who played left tackle were considered left tackles and weren't moved for the sake of convenience to right tackle.

Modern players received more consideration because the sport wasn't what it is now in the early days, in terms of talent level, style of play, and athletes, in general.

Then again, some older players named transcend all of that.

A quick look at the offense shows why Muhsin Muhammad said Chicago was where receivers go to die.

Offense

QB Sid Luckman

The second overall pick of the 1939 draft out of Columbia and the director of Halas' fabled T-formation still remains the greatest Bears QB after directing them to four league crowns in the 1940s, although his 132 TD passes and 14,686 yards seems a bit feeble--as does his 51.8% completions. Still, no one would argue with 8.4 yards per pass attempt even today. Jim McMahon's one Super Bowl might have been enough to overtake Luckman if only he could have stayed healthy. In six Bears season McMahon never had one when he played every game and missed 39 games overall.

RB Walter Payton

Jim Finks definitely didn't let the fact Payton played at a small school like Jackson State get in the way of taking the legend fourth overall in 1975. "Had we been in Atlanta's spot (No. 1 overall), we'd have chosen Walter Payton," coach Jack Pardee told the Tribune. "We thought that much of him."

FB Rick Casares

Most teams don't even have this position now but it is a traditional spot and one manned for the Bears by many, including their fifth-leading rusher all time. Casares had 5,797 yards on 1,431 carries and 49 rushing touchdowns and also caught 191 passs for 1,588 yards and 11 scores. At 6-2, 226, he was considered a monster to bring down in his era and was drafted in the second round (18th) out of Florida in 1954. He stayed around long enough to have a key role for the 1963 championship team. How could he get the nod over the great Bronko Nagurski? Nagurski came in the league six years before the draft.

WR Johnny Morris

He wasn't the fastest, didn't dance around after TD catches, but the fact he remains the team's all-time receiving yards leader now 58 years after retirement testifies to his skill and a lot of bad Bears receivers and QBs. A 12th-round pick in 1958 out of UC-Santa Barbara, Morris played flanker, or the slot. He is also a Chicago broadcasting legend. He had 356 receptions for 5,059 yards and 31 TDs. He'll remain the Bears' receiving yardage leader as long as they keep getting rid of receivers with a chance to break his record, like DJ Moore and Brandon Marshall.

WR Willie Gault

The 18th pick in Round 1 of the fabled 1983 Bears draft class actually was a Raider one year longer than he was a Bear. Once the Bears no longer had Gault's speed their offense lost something. They drafted players with better hands and better route runners but Gault's Olympic-class speed couldn't be matched and he averaged 19.8 yards per reception for his career, while helping keep defenses from ganging up on Payton. Gault had 184 receptions or 3,650 yards and 27 TDs with Chicago. And if not for him, the famed Super Bowl Shuffle might have never been.

TE Mike Ditka

Really, the NFL's first great tight end besides being Da Coach. Ditka averaged 19.2 yards per catch as a rookie, something modern tight ends find all but impossible to achieve. He had 4,503 yards on 316 receptions for 34 TDs in six Bears seasons, made five straight Pro Bowls and was All-Pro five straight times after being drafted fifth overall in 1961.

LT Jimbo Covert

Sorry all you Joe Stydahar lovers out there, but Covert is also in the Hall of Fame, and blocked at a time when left tackles actually were protecting the passer's blind side. Stydahar, the first Bears draft pick ever, was playing in a ground-and-pound era resembling nothing like modern football. Covert was the sixth pick overall in 1983 out of Pitt and the best blocker in an offense that led the NFL in rushing four straight years.

LG Danny Fortmann

A ninth-rounder (78th overall) in the first NFL draft of 1936, Fortmann made All-Pro or the Pro Bowl all of his eight seasons and helped lead the Bears to three championships. The Hall of Famer was on the All-1930s team. How does Fortmann make it and Stydahar, from the same era, doesn't. That's easy. He had less competition at left guard, meaning he didn't have a Covert to beat out.

 C Bulldog Turner

The seventh overall pick in the 1940 draft class out of Hardin-Simmons, Turner played in the two-way era and made a whopping 17 interceptions on defense. He made All-Pro seven times, Pro Bowl four times and anchored four NFL champion teams on the offensive line. What about Jay Hilgenberg? He wasn't drafted. Turner's toughest competition was modern-era tough guy Olin Kreutz, who made six Pro Bowls and twice was All-Pro.

RG Stan Jones

A great lineman regardless of position or side of the ball, Jones was picked in the fifth round of the 1955 draft out of Maryland. He made All-Pro four times at right guard, switched sides and made it at left guard one year, then switched over to defense and was part of the fabled 1963 NFL champion defense at defensive tackle over four seasons.

RT Darnell Wright

How does someone wind up on this group after only three seasons? He's already an All-Pro and right tackle hasn't been the side where the Bears had a lot of fabled players. Wright has the potential for a long, storied career in Ben Johnson's offense after being the 10th pick in the 2023 draft.

Defense

DE Richard Dent

The Sack Man might have been the greatest Bears draft steal, as eighth-round draft pick (203rd). He finally put on weight after getting dental work done that allowed him to eat better, and quickly started sacking QBs. His 124 1/2 sacks lead the franchise, and he had 17 1/2 in 1984 and 17 in 1985 in a Hall of Fame career.

DT Dan Hampton

In all honestly, Hampton could have been on any Bears all-time team as a tackle or end, he was that good. The fourth overall pick in the 1979 draft played 13 seasons despite bad knees, and made 82 sacks. Five times a first- or second-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl player, he had 12 forced fumbles and 10 recoveries in making the Hall of Fame.

DT Wally Chambers

The eighth overall pick in the 1973 draft, Chambers won defensive rookie of the year honors and picked up the torch for the defense as Dick Butkus' career was ending. A first- or second-team All-Pro three times and Pro Bowl player three times, his career was cut short to seven years like so many others because of a knee injury. His 14 sacks in 1975 were the most by a Bears defensive tackle. Steve McMichael wasn't drafted by the Bears or obviously would have been on this list.

DE Ed O'Bradovich

Never a Pro Bowl or All-Pro player, OB was on the 1963 champs and played 10 seasons for them after being drafted in the seventh round out of Illinois in 1962. The Proviso East star edges out players like Trace Armstrong and Mike Hartenstine. Hall-of-Famers like Doug Atkins and Ed Sprinkle weren't drafted by the Bears. O'Bradovich played before sacks were official statistics but statisticians and historians studying NFL archives came up with totals for players prior to that era and determined OB had 51 1/2 for his career, including 10 1/2 in 1967 and 12 in 1968.

OLB Lance Briggs

The Bears have had mostly great middle linebackers but some outside linebackers, as well. Briggs made the Pro Bowl seven times and All-Pro first or second team three times as Brian Urlacher's sidekick. The 2003 third-round (68th) pick out of Arizona had 1,181 total tackles, 97 for loss, 15 sacks, 16 interceptions and a whopping 19 forced fumbles in a 12-year career.

MLB Dick Butkus

Feared devastation, the 1965 third overall pick was taken out of Illinois one spot ahead of Gale Sayers and the Bears had to fend off the Denver Broncos of the AFL to get him. Denver drafted him in Round 2, ninth overall. Butkus made 22 interceptions, 27 fumble recoveries and 11 sacks in a Hall-of-Fame career that included eight Pro Bowls and six first- or second-team All-Pro nominations. Great enough for this position that he keeps Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher and Bill George of the team.

OLB Otis Wilson

Their 19th overall pick in 1980 gets the nod over Wilber Marshall and Roquan Smith based on both production and longevity, and over Joe Fortunato and Doug Buffone based on athletic impact. What about George Connor, old Bears fans might ask? He wasn't a Bears draft pick. Marshall only played four seasons in Chicago and Smith 4 1/2. "Mama's Boy" Otis came away with 38 sacks in eight Bears seasons, including 10 1/2 in the 1985 Super Bowl season and eight the next year. He had both Pro Bowl and All-Pro status in 1985. Wilson had 10 interceptions, six forced fumbles and eight recoveries.

CB Charles Tillman

He's got the Hall-of-Fame resume, but the second-round 2003 pick from Louisiana (35th) lacks only the Pro Bowl/All-Pro status. Maybe voters can someday overlook this. Tillman had 38 career interceptions, 36 for the Bears. His 44 career forced fumbles, 42 for the Bears are phenomenal, and as a result he has a technique named after him—the Peanut Punch. He also had 140 career pass breakups and 930 tackles. Two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro status say he might have trouble getting in the Hall but he's easily part of this list.

S Mike Brown

Taking one of the most popular Bears ever over Dave Duerson here even though Duerson was on the '85 team and had more Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition. Brown was the big play and money play waiting to happen in the secondary. The second-round pick of 2000 and 39th overall, no one will ever forget his back-to-back game-winning interception returns in overtime to trigger the 2001 division title run. Brown made 17 interceptions, eight forced fumbles and eight interceptions. He returned our interceptions for TDs and three fumbles for TDs. Twice he had All-Pro status and once was an All-Pro.

S Richie Petitbon

A key cog in the great 1963 secondary, Petitbon clinched that title with an interception at game's end. The second-round 1959 pick out of Tulane had 37 career interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. He put the uniform on in 1959, became an immediate starter and never missed a game or even start for them while attaining four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro nominations.

CB Bennie McRae

A second-round pick out of Michigan in 1962, he helped trigger defensive dominance in 1963 with six interceptions and went on to 27 career picks and six fumble recoveries for the Bears in nine seasons.

Special teams

KR/PR Devin Hester

The incomparable Hall-of-Fame return man for a franchise with a history of greats at doing this. His 20 total return TDs, 14 on punts, five on kicks, one on a missed field goal will be awfully difficult for anyone to beat after the change in kick return rules. Chosen 57th overall in Round 2 of the 2006 draft.

K Kevin Butler

The Super Bowl season wouldn't have been the same without "Butthead," the rookie kicker from Georgia who butted helmets with his blockers on field goals much like McMahon did on offense. A fourth-round pick, he was the franchise's best kicker until Robbie Gould came along, and made 73.2% of field goal tries in 11 seasons.

P Pat O'Donnell

A sixth-round pick in 2014, O'Donnell's 45.1-yard average shouldn't be hard for Tory Taylor to pass, and, in fact, he is a few yards beyond that. Let's give him maybe another season

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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