The 2017 regular season has finally (mercifully) concluded. Now the next order of business is finding a new head coach. That and of course determining the Chicago Bears 2018 draft position. It was a bit of a complicated matter this year. A lot of moving parts went into the final results including other games. In the end there is a number.
The #Bears have the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft. They're compiling top-10 picks at a Jaguars-like rate — 8-3-9-7 the past four years. Jags had 10 straight top-10 picks — the last six in the top-5 — and it finally paid off with a playoff berth this season. #hope
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) January 1, 2018
This will mark the fourth-straight time the Bears own a top 10 pick in the NFL draft. That’s the first time its happened for them in four decades when they went five-straight from 1972 to 1976. Suffice to say this recent stretch has been difficult on the field. At the same time it’s affording GM Ryan Pace opportunities to acquire high-end talent.
This will mark the first time since 2001 where the Bears have held the #8 overall pick. In fact they’ve only held four times in all of draft history. This is dating back to 1939. That’s a fairly surprising fact. A better question is how have they done with it historically?
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Chicago Bears 2018 draft position not always the most favorable
Truth be told the #8 pick hasn’t always been kind to the Bears in the past. Of the four total players selected with it, only one became a quality contributor. That was defensive tackle Wally Chambers. He became a three-time Pro Bowler for them in the 1970s before getting traded to Tampa Bay in exchange for the draft pick that became Dan Hampton.
Aside from him it’s a lot of average-to-bad. Wide receiver David Terrell was the most recent in 2001. He lasted just a few seasons, had some early promise but flamed out rather quickly. Offensive tackle Dennis Lick started five seasons for them in the ’70s, helping Walter Payton become a superstar. Then there was Jim Dooley way back in 1952. He had a few decent years as a receiver before becoming a terrible head coach for Chicago in the late 1960s.
If nothing else it’s fair to say the Bears are due for a hit at that position. Given their current roster needs like edge rusher, wide receiver and cornerback there’s a strong chance they should be able to come away with a quality talent. Thus far Pace has been a bit inconsistent here. Mitch Trubisky and Leonard Floyd look like quality talents, but Kevin White has proven a major bust. This pick could end up determining his legacy in Chicago. There’s not much room for error.
