List of Chicago Bears first-round draft picks

Mike Ditka, wearing sunglasses, from the shoulders up.
Mike Ditka was the Bears' first-round selection in the 1961 NFL draft.[1] Ditka would later become the team's head coach for 11 seasons, during which time they won Super Bowl XX.[2] In 1988, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a player.[3]

The Chicago Bears are an American football franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference North Division.[4] The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 20, 1919,[5] became professional on September 17, 1920, and moved to Chicago in 1921.[6][7][8] It is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, which was originally also in Chicago.[9][10][7] The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season; they now play at Soldier Field on the South Side adjacent to Lake Michigan.[11][12][13]

The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting",[14][15][16] is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment.[17] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them.[18]

In 1936, the league introduced the NFL draft after team owners voted on it in 1935.[19][20] The intention of the draft is to make the NFL more competitive, as some teams had an advantage in signing players.[18][20] From 1947 through 1958 the NFL designated the first overall selection as a "bonus" or "lottery pick". The pick was awarded by a random draw and the winner who received the "bonus pick" forfeited its selection in the final round of the draft and became ineligible for future draws. The system was abolished prior to the 1959 NFL draft, as all twelve teams in the league at the time had received a bonus choice.[21][22]

Since the first draft, the Bears have selected 97 players in the first round. The team's first-round pick in the inaugural NFL draft was Joe Stydahar, a tackle from West Virginia University; he was the 6th overall selection.[23] The Bears have held the first overall pick three times and selected Tom Harmon in 1941, Bob Fenimore in 1947, and Caleb Williams in 2024.[23] In the most recent draft, held in 2024, the Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.[24]

The Bears did not draft a player in the first round on nine occasions, most recently in 2022.[23] Eleven of the team's first-round picks—Dick Butkus, Jim Covert, Mike Ditka, Dan Hampton, Chuck Howley, Sid Luckman, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Joe Stydahar, Clyde Turner, and Brian Urlacher—have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[22][23] Three of the team's first-round picks—Dave Behrman, Steve DeLong, and George Rice—chose to sign with the NFL's pre-merger direct competitor, the American Football League (AFL), instead.[25][26][27][28]

  1. ^ "1961 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ditka featured in Bears Centennial Scrapbook". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Mike Ditka". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Astbury, Matt (April 10, 2023). "How many teams are in the NFL? Who plays in which division?". DAZN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Staley Plant Has Organized Football Team". Herald & Review (clipping). September 21, 1919. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Team Facts". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Chicago Bears". National Football League. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Sugrue, Brendan (September 17, 2020). "Throwback Thursday: George Halas and the Bears officially form the NFL". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Team History". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  10. ^ "National Football League Franchise Histories". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Goldsborough, Bob (September 10, 2023). "Where have Chicago Bears players lived over the years? Many have opted for locations close to the team's daily practice site". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  12. ^ "Soldier Field Rediscovered". CBS Chicago. October 1, 2021. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "100 Chicago Bears Facts Part 3: There's No Place Like Home". NBC Chicago. August 28, 2019. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "NFL Draft Profile – NFL Draft". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Farmer, Sam (April 26, 2008). "What makes them tick". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Reuter, Chad (April 13, 2012). "Who will be the best pro RB? Martin vs. Miller vs. Wilson". National Football League. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  17. ^ "NFL 2021 Draft date: when and where is it taking place?". Diario AS. February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "The rules of the NFL Draft". National Football League. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "1936 – The NFL's First Draft". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Learn the history of the NFL Draft". National Football League. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  21. ^ Signora, Michael; Gilbert, Zak; Drexler, Sam; Enos, Cody; Romanko, Reilly (eds.). "Official 2023 National Football League Record & Fact Book" (PDF). National Football League. p. 529. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Hall of Famers by Draft Round". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d "Chicago Bears All-Time Draft History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  24. ^ Russo, Ralph D. (April 26, 2024). "2024 NFL Draft: List of first round picks". AP News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  25. ^ Asbury, Matt (April 12, 2023). "Why are there divisions and conferences in the NFL? How do they work?". DAZN. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  26. ^ "Former All-American Dave Behrman Passes Away At Age 73". Michigan State University Athletics. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  27. ^ "'65 draft produced two Hall of Famers". Chicago Bears. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  28. ^ "Services Scheduled for Former Houston Oiler George Rice". Tennessee Titans. December 29, 2010. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.