The Chicago Bears won’t go on the clock until the 88th pick in the 2019 NFL draft. That is a long wait. It’s also uncharted territory. In the entirety of their franchise history, the Bears have never actually picked a player with that draft slot. They’ve used the 87th and 89th but never the 88th. So they’ll make a bit of history in that regard unless they trade out of course.
What everybody wants to know though is whether the Bears can actually get a good player at that spot. Recent history hasn’t been kind to Chicago in the 3rd round. Their last productive pick from that part of the draft was Lance Briggs way back in 2003 and he was the 68th selection. So it’s clear GM Ryan Pace will be given a serious challenge.
That said, looking back over the track record of this pick, the Bears might be in luck. This spot has actually produced some quality NFL talent in all three phases of the games within the past decade. Here is a look and the top three names that stood out most.
2010 – Andre Roberts (WR)
Probably one of the more underrated players taken in the past decade. No one will say Roberts was a star at wide receiver in the NFL but he’s made nice contributions on that front with four seasons of at least 450 yards or more. His biggest value has been as a returner though. In his career, he has five return touchdowns and was selected All-Pro in 2018 for the work he did with the Jets.
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2012 – Nick Foles (QB)
That’s right. The 2017 Super Bowl MVP was taken 88th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in seven years ago. Since then he’s had one of the most unique careers for a quarterback in history. He replaced Donovan McNabb as the starter in 2013, went to the Pro Bowl and looked like a rising star. Then he regressed, was traded to the Rams, spent one year there, left, and sign in Kansas City.
He spent another year there, left, and returned to Philadelphia to become Carson Wentz’s backup. Wentz gets hurt and Foles takes over as the starter, and lead the team to its first Super Bowl championship in history, winning MVP honors for his performance in that game.
Then in 2018, it happens again. Wentz goes down, Foles leads them on a late-season run to make the playoffs, beat the Bears in Chicago before losing on a dropped pass in New Orleans. So one could say it all worked out.
2015 – Danielle Hunter (DE)
Hunter was considered a project coming out of LSU in 2015. A freakish specimen in terms of talent but his production in college didn’t reflect that. Mike Zimmer took care of those issues and transformed him into one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL. In four seasons Hunter has 40 sacks, making his first Pro Bowl in 2018. At just 24-years old, the odds are he’ll be dangerous for a long time in Minnesota.
