A look at the Chicago Bears best draft picks over the last 10 years
By Evan Bruner
Chicago Bears 2014 NFL Draft: Charles Leno Jr., OT
Selection: Seventh Round (246th overall)
I can already sense that this will be an unpopular one. Putting a pedestrian tackle like Charles Leno Jr. over the likes of Kyle Fuller might seem overly ambitious. But as previously mentioned, this isn’t about the best individual player to be drafted; it’s the best draft pick.
The difference in expectations between a seventh-round pick and a mid-first-round selection can’t be overstated. Just securing a second contract would be considered a win for a player taken that late. Leno has gone a step beyond that and is under contract until the end of the 2024 season.
Starting left tackles are hard to come by, and Leno has made 128 starts in his career and hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season. He also made a Pro Bowl in 2018, giving him a pretty strong resume.
From one of the final picks of the 2014 Draft to a Pro Bowler and veteran entering his tenth season, Leno has outperformed his wildest expectations. Though never a star, he has been durable and sufficient, and that’s all that’s needed to be a franchise tackle in the NFL. This was quietly one of Pace’s best picks as general manager and the best of 2014.