Chicago Bears: The #8 Pick Has Hit the Most at This Position

The Chicago Bears have a number of needs still to address going into the 2018 NFL draft. So what they do with the #8 overall pick is important.

They absolutely must make sure it becomes a hit. Unfortunately, that’s proven difficult for them in the past. To date, the Bears have spent the 8th overall pick in the draft five times. Only one of those five ended up becoming a standout player. Defensive tackle Wally Chambers ended up going to three Pro Bowls for them before getting traded for the pick that would become Dan Hampton. The others produced decent starters at best (Dennis Lick) and total busts at worse (Davide Terrell).

So the question becomes who do the Bears target? Well, that debate continues to rage and has been poured over for weeks upon weeks. Maybe a better question to ask is what do the Bears target? More specifically what position might offer them the best odds at making a successful pick? To answer this it’s best to look back at history to see which of their biggest need positions have done well at #8.

Pro Bowlers-to-Picks ratio

• Defensive backs:  6-of-8
• Defensive line:  5-of-11
• Offensive line:  5-of-10
• Linebackers:  3-of-6
• Wide receivers:  2-of-6

This list covers every draft pick made since 1970 when the NFL and AFL merged into the league we all know today. In that time 41 picks have been made in this slot with a total of 21 ending up a Pro Bowler or All-Pro. A slightly over 50% hit rate isn’t bad, but the devil is in the details. Certain positions have fared far better than others. The biggest surprise is which one.

An astounding 75% of the defensive backs take at #8 overall in the past 47 years. This includes Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Adding intrigue to this idea is that in that same vast time span the Bears have selected just one defensive back in the top 10. His name was Mark Carrier who became a three-time Pro Bowl safety for them in the 1990s.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: The Quarterback Wars Rage in Top 10

The Bears secondary is in reasonably good shape with the returns of Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara. That said the crop of defensive backs in this 2018 class is considered strong. GM Ryan Pace may want to take advantage of that. Based on the stats, he has a high probability of getting a good player.