ESPN’s NFL Draft Slot Rankings: Where the Bears Showed Up

• Walter Payton gets the nod at pick 4, because of course he does. Sweetness might be the greatest Bear of all time, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest players ever.
• Mike Singletary checks in at pick 38, anchoring the legendary 1985 defense and terrifying quarterbacks with his thousand-yard stare.
• Devin Hester clocks in for pick 57 over players like Mark Stepnoski and Rob Havenstein. Hester's electric, game-changing ability makes it worthwhile, in my opinion. The Hall of Fame seems to agree.
• Lance Briggs appears at pick 68. This is one of the few lists where you see him without his former teammate, Brian Urlacher!
• Allan Ellis is chosen for pick 107. Ellis was a cornerback drafted in 1973. He was the first Bears cornerback ever to make the Pro Bowl.
• Richard Dent is an obvious choice at pick 203. The Hall of Famer played 15 seasons, racking up 137.5 sacks. It's remarkable to think he fell so far in the draft because of dental issues.
• Mark Bortz gets the nod at pick 219. Bortz started at guard for the Super Bowl-winning 85 Bears and played 12 NFL seasons.
• Charles Leno Jr. was the pick 246 winner. Love him or hate him, he gave great value for that pick slot.

Notable Bears Omissions

• Jimbo Covert was not chosen at pick 6, losing out to Walter Jones. Both Hall of Fame offensive tackles deserve recognition, but Walter Jones fits better here.
• Brian Urlacher is snubbed for Bruce Matthews at Pick 9, which might be fair given Matthews' 19 seasons and 14 Pro Bowl appearances. Solak did mention that it was difficult for him to rank Matthews above Urlacher.
• Greg Olsen warrants consideration at pick 31, but Solak chose Cameron Heyward here, which is fair.
• Charles Tillman has a strong case for being overlooked here. Joel Bitonio was picked at number 35. While he has been one of the best offensive guards in the NFL over the past decade, his legacy will not last like the Peanut Punch does.
• Matt Forte wasn't even mentioned at pick 44, which was taken by Steelers Hall of Fame offensive guard Dermontti Dawson.
• Olin Kreutz was the 64th pick in his draft class, but lost to Dan Fouts in this exercise. A fair choice, but I wanted to make sure Olin gets mentioned here.
• Alex Brown lost at pick 104 to Dwight White, a Steelers DE from the 1970s.
• Kyle Orton *might* have been a candidate for pick 106, but then Maxx Crosby had to come along and spoil all the fun.
• Eddie Jackson seemed like a possible pick at 112 until I realized that was where the Lions selected Amon-Ra St. Brown.
• Johnny Knox might have been in the running for pick 140 if it weren't for his career being cut short. Instead, the spot went to WR Terance Mathis.
• Adrian Amos might deserve a shout-out at pick 142, where Punter Shane Lechler came out on top.

Other Bears Nuggets

• Joe Thuney comes in as the top dog at pick 78.
• Nick Foles takes the prize at pick 88 due to his Super Bowl-winning efforts in 2017.
• Brandon Marshall is the pick at 119.
• Jared Allen (Bears legend) gets the nod at pick 126.
• Grady Jarrett is the pick at 137.
• Al Harris earned the top spot for pick 169. Harris is currently the Bears' Defensive Pass Game Coordinator.
• Danny Trevathan wins the debate at pick 188.

Overall, the list is fair to the Bears. While I would like to see Urlacher take the prize at pick nine, I am also biased. The biggest snub for me is Charles Tillman. He deserves to take the 35th pick over Joel Bitonio, as much as I have appreciated Bitonio's career.