Can anybody remember the last time the Chicago Bears drafted top 5 quarterback? It’s a fun trivia question for casual fans. Most who don’t know will smack their heads upon hearing the answer. It was none other than Jim McMahon back in 1982. The team took the standout from BYU with the fifth overall pick that year. The first under new head coach Mike Ditka.
McMahon would be one of the more controversial players of the decade, but also one of the best. He went 46-15 in Chicago during his run, helping the franchise to win its first Super Bowl in 1985. He’s also the last quarterback to make a Pro Bowl for them. In all a pretty good return on such an important pick.
Over the past 35 years though the Bears have had three other opportunities to get themselves a top five QB and failed to pull the trigger. In 1998 and 2003 they didn’t pull the trigger because the options available were poor. However, the streak should’ve ended in 2005 when they had Aaron Rodgers on the board with their #4 pick. They took Cedric Benson instead.
So the streak continues. Want to feel old? Here are a bunch of things that were popular in 1982 when the Bears made that pick.
