Chicago Bears offensive guard Joe Thuney has turned in quite the career so far and has done pretty well for a guy who was the 78th overall pick by the New England Patriots back in 2016.
Five All-Pro selections later, he just won the Protector of the Year award in his first season with the Bears after spending time with the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, winning four Super Bowls combined. Pro Football Focus writer Bradley Locker ranked the most valuable draft picks in the last 10 years that were not first-round picks, with Thuney being ranked 13th.
"Whether playing for the Patriots, Chiefs or Bears, Thuney has maintained his excellence at the guard position. Over the last 10 seasons, Thuney has accumulated the second-most WAR of any guard (2.99) while being named to five All-Pro teams. His latest accomplishment came in 2025 with Chicago, when he won the league’s inaugural Protector of the Year trophy with an elite 87.7 PFF pass-blocking grade. Combining individual acumen with team success, Thuney has as good of a case as anyone to be the foremost guard of the last 10 years. To find that in the third round is a testament to the Patriots’ scouting and another tip of the cap to the legendary Bill Belichick."
Joe Thuney in the top 20, but should be higher than that
Thuney made a big difference with the Patriots and Chiefs on their offensive lines, but the impact he made on the Bears was even greater. This was a Chicago offensive line that allowed an NFL-high 68 sacks in 2024. Thuney, among other additions like Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman. helped improve that stat by allowing only 24 sacks last season.
Chicago has been able to rely on Thuney whenever the Bears need him. In the playoffs last year, with Ozzy Trapilo's injury, Thuney moved over from left guard to left tackle and performed well at the position despite the Bears losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
Age will start to become a factor for Thuney, as he is 33, but he is still playing great football. The regression will eventually happen, with the Bears praying they can get a few more years out of him.
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Thuney is a reliable starter who rarely misses games, which is massive for the Bears. As long as he can stay healthy and be on the field, the Bears should be in a position where he can perform well for a long time, which is what makes this former third-round pick way more valuable than the others on the list.
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