Chicago Bears: History With Each of the Top 5 Picks
By Erik Lambert
#3 Pick
- Norm Standlee (FB, Stanford, 1941)
- Bobby Layne (QB, Texas, 1948)
- Chuck Hunsinger (HB, Florida, 1950)
- Dick Butkus (LB, Illinois, 1965)
- Lionel Antoine (OT, Southern Illinois, 1972)
Another pick the Bears haven’t held in a long time. This one may have the most unusual history. Standlee, Hunsinger and Antoine were rather unremarkable players during their brief careers. It was the other two names on the list that are fascinating. Most remember Bobby Layne as a Hall of Fame quarterback who won three championships in Detroit. They forget that it was actually the Bears who drafted him. After one season he requested a trade and in a moment of poor judgment George Halas agreed, sending him to New York.
Luckily Papa Bear made up for it. Towards the end of his head coaching career, Halas pulled off a coup when he made a trade to acquire the #3 pick from Pittsburgh in 1965. With it he selected one of the best linebackers in NFL history. Dick Butkus became the standard by which all other middle linebackers and indeed defensive players are measuring. His superb talent and trademark intensity made him the fear and envy of an entire generation.