#2: Mike Hartenstine
People forget he was drafted just one round after the great Walter Payton. So in many ways the 1975 class was a huge reason for the Bears turning around. Mike Hartenstine was easily one of the most underrated defensive ends of that era. He was a versatile pass rusher who could get heat on the quarterback from either side of the line. Officially he’s only credited with 24 sacks in his career, including 12 in 1983 but the tape reveals he had way more than that over the course of his career.
Perhaps his greatest trait though was his unselfishness. Oftentimes he passed up opportunities for sacks in favor of executing the right play. The example he set was a catalyst for what the Bears became defensively in the mid-1980s.
