Chicago Bears draft history stretches back a long time. It’s filled with lots of peaks and lots of valleys. It is also filled with a lot of hidden facts that fans probably don’t remember or never knew in the first place. With just six days before the team goes into its latest in that long line, it might be fun to look over some facts that even diehards might not know.
Chicago Bears draft history hasn’t seen #1 pick in over seven decades
The #1 pick is always central to ever year of the draft because it is the pick that has proven the most consistently successful. For obvious reasons. Every team in the NFL has held the #1 pick at least once in their franchise history. What nobody knows is that the Bears have gone the longest of any of them without hold it.
The last time this was the case occured way back in 1947 when they selected Oklahoma State running back Bob Fenimore. A span of 72 years and counting. Fenimore was actually the second-straight #1 pick the Bears held, using their first the year prior.
The Bears have drafted 334 running backs in their history
Everybody remains convinced that the Bears will target a running back in this draft. Not a surprise after they traded Jordan Howard a few weeks ago. If this proves to be the case, that young man will have the honor of being the 335th running back the franchise has selected since 1936.
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No that is not a misprint. No franchise has invested more draft picks in that position than Chicago and it’s by a comfortable margin. It started with a man named George Roscoe in the first ever draft and kept going until 2017 when the Bears took Tarik Cohen in the 4th round.
Drafts without a 1st round pick
There was a time when it was almost inconceivable that the Bears would go into a draft without a 1st round pick. Why? From 1936 to 2000, there were only three classes that didn’t include one in 1970, 1978, and 1997. Three classes out of 64 total. That is pretty impressive all things considered.
Things have changed since then. The arrival of free agency coupled with more aggressive GMs like Jerry Angelo and Ryan Pace has led to the team having four draft classes that didn’t or won’t have a 1st round pick. These came in 2006, 2009, 2010, and now in 2019. Four in 18 drafts.
Chicago drafted two future Pro Bowl specialists…for other teams
Another topic of discussion for this year is whether or not the Bears might considered drafting help for special teams, either in the former of a kicker or a punter. It’s certainly something they haven’t been scared to do in the past. Something they’ve had success with too.
Kevin Butler was one of their best finds, remaining kicker in Chicago for 12 years. However, he never made a Pro Bowl. Two specialists the Bears have selected did, but neither of did so for them.
Punter Chris Gardocki came in 1991 and lasted four years before heading Indianapolis where he was All-Pro in ’96. Then in 1995 they replaced him with Todd Sauerbrun. He lasted five years in Chicago but moved on in 2000. By 2001 he was in Carolina where he would become a three-time Pro Bowler.
Franchise drafted three QBs in one of worst QB classes ever
There have been many ways to help describe just how inept the Bears franchise has been at securing good quarterbacks over the years. One that has been glossed over way too often took place back in 1974. What many consider the peak of the darkest period in franchise history.
That year the Bears wanted to see if they could get some help at the position but played it cheap. In total, they selected not one, not two, but three quarterbacks in the 8th, 13th, and 17th rounds respectively. Only one of them ever threw a pass in the NFL.
What makes it even worse? The 1974 draft class may have been one of the worst in league history. Out of 20 quarterbacks taken that year, only one of them threw for more than 3,000 yards in his career. That was future Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowler Danny White.
Who coincidentally went one pick before the Bears at the top of the 3rd round.
They drafted 10 future Pro Bowlers who were stolen by the AFL
Though the Bears won a championship in 1963, one could easily make an argument they should’ve won more during that time. A lot more. Why? George Halas drafted extremely well over the course of that decade. All told he selected 18 players who would eventually make the Pro Bowl.
The problem is only six of those players would end up playing a down for Chicago. Ten of them would be lured away by the rival American Football League including six-time All-Pro tackle Jim Tyrer and three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Ernie Ladd.
This isn’t even counting quarterback Don Meredith and running back Bill Brown who were traded to the Cowboys and Vikings respectively as part of the league’s expansion in 1960 and 1961. So if one were to look back at which teams were shafted the most by the NFL-AFL wars, the Bears easily had a case.
