In the second of a five-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 a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, the franchise leader in games played and a starter on their last Super Bowl defense.
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 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. He played on four division championship teams in 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2010.
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 Los Angeles Chargers.
Another defensive back, cornerback Lemuel Stinson, was drafted in 1988. In five seasons with the Bears, he played in 69 games with 42 starts and recorded 16 interceptions, including 14 in a three-year span from 1989-91.
Other notable sixth-round picks include:
Tom Hicks, linebacker (1975)
The Illinois product who attended Willowbrook High appeared in 64 games with 42 starts in five seasons with the Bears, 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.
Dan Jiggetts, guard (1976)
The Harvard graduate spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Bears from 1976-82 primarily as a reserve lineman who appeared in 98 games with two starts.
Vince Evans, quarterback (1977)
Evans played his first seven NFL seasons with the Bears, appearing in 56 games with 32 starts and throwing for 6,172 yards with 31 touchdowns, 53 interceptions and a 57.3 passer rating.
Kurt Becker, guard (1982)
Becker played eight seasons with the Bears in two stints from 1982-88 and 1990, appearing in 92 games with 35 starts. He was the team's starting right guard in 1983-84.
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.
Paul Edinger, kicker (2000)
Edinger spent five seasons with the Bears from 2000-04 and ranks sixth in franchise history with 463 points. He connected on 75.3 percent of his field goal attempts (110 of 146).
Adrian Peterson, running back (2002)
Peterson rushed for 1,283 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 78 passes for 665 yards while appearing in 106 games during eight seasons with the Bears.
Patrick O'Donnell, punter (2014)
O'Donnell is the Bears' all-time leading punter with a 44.9-yard career average and also owns the franchise's single-season mark of 47.0 yards set in 2017.
