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In the third of an eight-part series, we take a look at the most notable sixth-round draft picks in Bears history.*
Players the Bears have selected in the sixth round of the draft include the franchise leader in games played, a Pro Bowl quarterback and a starter on their last Super Bowl defense.
Drafted in 1998 out of Duke, long-snapper Patrick Mannelly set team records for most seasons (16) and games played (245) with the Bears, retiring after the 2013 season.
Long-snapper Patrick Mannelly set team records for most seasons (16) and games played (245) with the Bears.
Quarterback Ed Brown (1952) played his first eight NFL seasons with the Bears from 1954-61, joining the team after spending two years in the military. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1955 and 1956 after beating out George Blanda for the starting job.
In 1956, Brown led the Bears to a 9-2-1 record and the Western Conference title, a half-game ahead of the Detroit Lions (9-3). He topped the NFL in passing that season, completing 96 of 168 passes for 1,667 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Drafted by the Bears in 2005 out of Louisiana-Monroe, safety Chris Harris made an immediate impact as a rookie, intercepting two Brett Favre passes in a division-clinching win over the Packers in Green Bay on Christmas night.
Harris appeared in 44 games with 39 starts in two stints with the Bears from 2005-06 and 2010-11, registering 10 interceptions. He later served as an assistant coach with the team in 2013-14 and is now a defensive assistant with the San Diego Chargers.
Other notable Bears sixth-round draft picks include:
Tom Hicks, linebacker (1975)
The Illinois product who attended Willowbrook High School appeared in 64 games with 42 starts in five seasons with the Bears from 1976-80, recording five interceptions.
Bob Avellini, quarterback (1975)
Avellini played his entire 10-year NFL career with the Bears from 1975-84, playing in 73 games with 50 starts and completing 50.5 percent of his passes for 7,111 yards with 33 touchdowns, 69 interceptions and a 54.8 passer rating. The Maryland product was the Bears' primary starting quarterback from 1976-78.
Dan Jiggetts, guard (1976)
The Harvard graduate spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Bears from 1976-82 primary as a reserve lineman who appeared in 98 games with two starts. Jiggetts co-hosted a radio show for several years on WSCR-AM in Chicago and currently co-hosts several Bears television programs on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Vince Evans, quarterback (1977)
Evans played his first seven NFL seasons with the Bears from 1977-83, appearing in 56 games with 32 starts and completing 48.7 percent of his passes for 6,172 yards with 31 touchdowns, 53 interceptions and a 57.3 passer rating. Evans posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a 61-7 rout of the Packers on Dec. 7, 1980 at Soldier Field.
Kurt Becker, guard (1982)
A reserve lineman on the 1985 Super Bowl championship team, Becker played eight seasons with the Bears in two stints from 1982-88 and 1990, appearing in 92 games with 35 starts. Becker was the team's starting right guard in 1983-84. The Chicago area native currently is head football coach at East Aurora High School, his alma mater.
Lemuel Stinson, cornerback (1988)
The Texas Tech product played all five of his NFL seasons with the Bears from 1988-92, appearing in 69 games with 42 starts and recording 16 interceptions. Stinson recorded 14 interceptions in a three-season span from 1989-91, including a career-high six in 1990.
John Mangum, safety (1990)
Primarily a reserve defensive back and special-teams contributor, Mangum played in 105 games with 25 starts over nine seasons with the Bears from 1990-98. The only year he served as a regular starter was in 1997 when he opened all 16 games.
Paul Edinger, kicker (2000)
The Michigan State product spent five seasons with the Bears from 2000-04 and ranks sixth in franchise history with 463 points. Edinger connected on 75.3 percent of his field goal attempts (110 of 146) and all 133 extra-point tries.
