# List of Chicago Bears first-round draft picks

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. The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 20, 1919, became professional on September 17, 1920, and moved to Chicago in 1921. 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. 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.
The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting", is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. 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.
In 1936, the league introduced the NFL draft after team owners voted on it in 1935. The intention of the draft is to make the NFL more competitive, as some teams had an advantage in signing players. 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.
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. 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. In the most recent draft, held in 2024, the Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
The Bears did not draft a player in the first round on nine occasions, most recently in 2022. 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. 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.

## Player selections

Key :
| Symbol | Meaning |
| † | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| * | Selected number one overall |
Position abbreviations :
| C | Center |
| CB | Cornerback |
| DB | Defensive back |
| DE | Defensive end |
| DT | Defensive tackle |
| E | End |
| FB | Fullback |
| G | Guard |
| HB | Halfback |
| LB | Linebacker |
| QB | Quarterback |
| RB | Running back |
| S | Safety |
| T | Tackle |
| TE | Tight end |
| WR | Wide receiver |
Chicago Bears first-round draft picks by season :
| Season | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1936 | 6 | Joe Stydahar† | T | West Virginia | |
| 1937 | 6 | Les McDonald | E | Nebraska | |
| 1938 | 10 | Joe Gray | HB | Oregon State | |
| 1939 | 2 | Sid Luckman† | QB | Columbia | Pick received from Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 1939 | 6 | Bill Osmanski | FB | Holy Cross | |
| 1940 | 7 | Clyde Turner† | C | Hardin-Simmons | |
| 1941 | 1 | Tom Harmon* | HB | Michigan | Pick received from Philadelphia Eagles. Did not sign with team. |
| 1941 | 3 | Norm Standlee | FB | Stanford | Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1941 | 9 | Don Scott | HB | Ohio State | |
| 1942 | 10 | Frankie Albert | QB | Stanford | |
| 1943 | 9 | Bob Steuber | HB | Missouri | |
| 1944 | 9 | Ray Evans | HB | Kansas | |
| 1945 | 11 | Don Lund | HB | Michigan | Chose to play Major League Baseball instead |
| 1946 | 4 | Johnny Lujack | QB | Notre Dame | |
| 1947 | 1 | Bob Fenimore* | HB | Oklahoma A&M | Lottery bonus pick |
| 1947 | 11 | Dick Kindt | HB | Wisconsin | |
| 1948 | 10 | Max Bumgardner | DE | Texas | |
| 1949 | 11 | Dick Harris | C | Texas | |
| 1950 | 3 | Chuck Hunsinger | HB | Florida | Pick received from New York Bulldogs |
| 1950 | 10 | Fred Morrison | HB | Ohio State | |
| 1951 | 2 | Bob Williams | QB | Notre Dame | Pick received from Baltimore Colts |
| 1951 | 10 | Billy Stone | HB | Bradley | Pick received from New York Yanks |
| 1951 | 12 | Gene Schroeder | WR | Virginia | |
| 1952 | 8 | Jim Dooley | HB | Miami | |
| 1953 | 6 | Billy Anderson | HB | Compton JC | |
| 1954 | 6 | Stan Wallace | HB | Illinois | |
| 1955 | 11 | Ron Drzewiecki | HB | Marquette | |
| 1956 | 10 | Menan Schriewer | E | Texas | Did not play for the team |
| 1957 | 13 | Earl Leggett | DT | LSU | |
| 1958 | 7 | Chuck Howley† | LB | West Virginia | |
| 1959 | 7 | Don Clark | HB | Ohio State | |
| 1960 | 7 | Roger Davis | G | Syracuse | |
| 1961 | 5 | Mike Ditka† | TE | Pittsburgh | |
| 1962 | 7 | Ronnie Bull | RB | Baylor | |
| 1963 | 11 | Dave Behrman | C | Michigan State | Original pick traded to Los Angeles Rams. Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers. Signed for the AFL's Buffalo Bills instead. |
| 1964 | 14 | Dick Evey | DT | Tennessee | |
| 1965 | 3 | Dick Butkus† | LB | Illinois | Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1965 | 4 | Gale Sayers† | HB | Kansas | |
| 1965 | 6 | Steve DeLong | DE | Tennessee | Pick received from Washington Redskins. Signed for the AFL's San Diego Chargers instead. |
| 1966 | 12 | George Rice | DT | LSU | Signed for the AFL's Houston Oilers instead |
| 1967 | 10 | Loyd Phillips | DE | Arkansas | |
| 1968 | 16 | Mike Hull | FB | USC | |
| 1969 | 14 | Rufus Mayes | T | Ohio State | Moved down draft order due to failure to pick within allotted time |
| 1970 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Green Bay Packers |
| 1971 | 11 | Joe Moore | RB | Missouri | |
| 1972 | 3 | Lionel Antoine | T | Southern Illinois | Pick received from New York Giants |
| 1972 | 12 | Craig Clemons | S | Iowa | |
| 1973 | 8 | Wally Chambers | DT | Eastern Kentucky | Additional pick received from Kansas City Chiefs, used to move down draft order in with trade with Detroit Lions, and traded to New England Patriots. |
| 1974 | 4 | Waymond Bryant | LB | Tennessee State | |
| 1974 | 20 | Dave Gallagher | DE | Michigan | Pick received from Washington Redskins |
| 1975 | 4 | Walter Payton† | HB | Jackson State | |
| 1976 | 8 | Dennis Lick | T | Wisconsin | Moved up draft order in trade with Detroit Lions{{efn-ua|Chicago traded their 1976 first- and third-round selections (Nos. 10 and 68 overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for their first-round selection (No. 8 overall). |
| 1977 | 15 | Ted Albrecht | T | California | |
| 1978 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Cleveland Browns |
| 1979 | 4 | Dan Hampton† | DT | Arkansas | Pick received from Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1979 | 9 | Al Harris | DE | Arizona State | |
| 1980 | 19 | Otis Wilson | LB | Louisville | |
| 1981 | 11 | Keith Van Horne | T | USC | |
| 1982 | 5 | Jim McMahon | QB | BYU | |
| 1983 | 6 | Jim Covert† | T | Pittsburgh | |
| 1983 | 18 | Willie Gault | WR | Tennessee | Pick received from Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1984 | 11 | Wilber Marshall | LB | Florida | |
| 1985 | 22 | William Perry | DT | Clemson | |
| 1986 | 27 | Neal Anderson | RB | Florida | |
| 1987 | 26 | Jim Harbaugh | QB | Michigan | |
| 1988 | 23 | Brad Muster | FB | Stanford | |
| 1988 | 27 | Wendell Davis | WR | LSU | Pick received from Washington Redskins |
| 1989 | 11 | Donnell Woolford | CB | Clemson | Original pick traded to Miami Dolphins. Pick received from Oakland Raiders. |
| 1989 | 12 | Trace Armstrong | DE | Florida | Pick received from Washington Redskins |
| 1990 | 6 | Mark Carrier | S | USC | |
| 1991 | 22 | Stan Thomas | T | Texas | |
| 1992 | 22 | Alonzo Spellman | DE | Ohio State | |
| 1993 | 7 | Curtis Conway | WR | USC | |
| 1994 | 11 | John Thierry | DE | Alcorn State | |
| 1995 | 21 | Rashaan Salaam | RB | Colorado | |
| 1996 | 13 | Walt Harris | CB | Mississippi State | Moved up draft order in trade with St. Louis Rams |
| 1997 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Seattle Seahawks |
| 1998 | 5 | Curtis Enis | RB | Penn State | |
| 1999 | 12 | Cade McNown | QB | UCLA | Moved down draft order in trade with Washington Redskins |
| 2000 | 9 | Brian Urlacher† | LB | New Mexico | |
| 2001 | 8 | David Terrell | WR | Michigan | |
| 2002 | 29 | Marc Colombo | T | Boston College | |
| 2003 | 14 | Michael Haynes | DE | Penn State | Moved down draft order in trades with New York Jets and New England Patriots |
| 2003 | 22 | Rex Grossman | QB | Florida | Pick received from New York Jets |
| 2004 | 14 | Tommie Harris | DT | Oklahoma | |
| 2005 | 4 | Cedric Benson | RB | Texas | |
| 2006 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Moved down draft order in trade with Buffalo Bills |
| 2007 | 31 | Greg Olsen | TE | Miami | |
| 2008 | 14 | Chris Williams | T | Vanderbilt | |
| 2009 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Denver Broncos |
| 2010 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Denver Broncos |
| 2011 | 29 | Gabe Carimi | T | Wisconsin | |
| 2012 | 19 | Shea McClellin | DE | Boise State | |
| 2013 | 20 | Kyle Long | T | Oregon | |
| 2014 | 14 | Kyle Fuller | CB | Virginia Tech | |
| 2015 | 7 | Kevin White | WR | West Virginia | |
| 2016 | 9 | Leonard Floyd | LB | Georgia | Moved up draft order in trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2017 | 2 | Mitchell Trubisky | QB | North Carolina | Moved up draft order in trade with San Francisco 49ers |
| 2018 | 8 | Roquan Smith | LB | Georgia | |
| 2019 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Oakland Raiders |
| 2020 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Las Vegas Raiders |
| 2021 | 11 | Justin Fields | QB | Ohio State | Moved up draft order in trade with New York Giants |
| 2022 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to New York Giants |
| 2023 | 10 | Darnell Wright | T | Tennessee | Moved down draft order in trades with Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2024 | 1 | Caleb Williams | QB | USC | Pick received from Carolina Panthers |
| 2024 | 9 | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington | |