10 greatest Chicago Bears of all time

7. MLB Brian Urlacher

He was a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame selection and a member of the Class of 2018. Eight players were selected ahead of University of New Mexico defender Brian Urlacher in the 2000 NFL Draft and 22 players after him in the first round. And to date, he’s the only one of the 31 first-round selections to earn a bust in Canton, Ohio.

In 2000, he was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and in ’05, the rangy performer was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

In nine of his 13 seasons (he missed all but 1 game in 2009), he racked up 100 or more tackles. There were 22 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. There were also 15 fumble recoveries and once again, Urlacher returned two of those opponent miscues for scores. During his first seven seasons in the league, the 6’4”, 258-pound performer was named to six Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors four times. He was also a Pro Bowler in both 2011 and 2012.

The Bears’ standout also proved that he could get after the quarterback, especially in his early years. There were 41.5 career sacks, 32.5 of those quarterback traps in his first six campaigns.