Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Want to know the silver lining of missing the playoffs? A better draft pick! The top of the NFL draft order is set for the non-playoff teams; the first 20 picks:
| Pos. | Team |
| 1 | Houston Texans |
| 2 | St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 4 | Cleveland Browns |
| 5 | Oakland Raiders |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 8 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills |
| 10 | Detroit Lions |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans |
| 12 | New York Giants |
| 13 | St. Louis Rams |
| 14 | Chicago Bears |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 16 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 17 | New York Jets |
| 18 | Miami Dolphins |
| 19 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals |
The Bears have selected 14th three times in the last several years with mixed results according to NFL Draft History. In 2003, they selected DE Michael Haynes out of Penn State. The next season, they grabbed Pro Bowler Tommie Harris with #14 out of Oklahoma. A few years later, they selected OT/OG Chris Williams with #14 in 2008. All of those selections were made by former Bears GM Jerry Angelo.
Other notable #14’s over the last few years include DT Star Lotulelei by the Panthers in 2013, defensive linemen Michael Brockers and Robert Quinn by the Rams in 2012 and 2011 respectively, safety Earl Thomas by the Seahawks in 2010 and DB Malcom Jenkins by the Saints in 2009.
Expect to see Phil Emery invest heavily in defensive players this offseason, with major holes along the defensive line and in the secondary that must be filled. Stay tuned to all of the Bears offseason news with the Bear Goggles On team.