Staley Da Bear
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Martin appeared in 32 games with one start with the Bears from 1962-64. He averaged 5.2 yards on 30 punt returns with a long of 28 yards and 21.7 yards on 53 kickoff returns with a long of 47 yards. Martin was a member of the Bears' 1963 NFL championship team.
Spivey appeared in 46 games with three starts—all in 1978—and did not record an interception. However, he did play on two Bears teams that reached the playoffs as NFC wild cards in 1977 and '79.
2. Four players drafted by other teams at No. 43 since 1993 later played for the Bears. They are running back/return specialist Glyn Milburn (Broncos 1993), receiver Muhsin Muhammad (Panthers 1996), linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (Rams 2003) and cornerback Johnthan Banks (Buccaneers 2013).
3. Since 1995, five of the 25 players selected at No. 43 in the draft have been voted to the Pro Bowl. Here's a capsule look at them:
- 1996: Muhsin Muhammad, Michigan State receiver (Panthers)
Muhammad played 14 NFL seasons with the Panthers (1996-2004, 2008-09) and Bears (2005-07), catching 860 passes for 11,438 yards and 62 touchdowns. He was voted to two Pro Bowls, led the NFL with 102 receptions in 2000 and was selected first-team All-Pro in 2004 when he topped the league with 1,405 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches.
Muhammad owns the record for the longest touchdown reception in Super Bowl history, an 85-yarder in the Panthers' 32-29 loss to the Patriots to cap the 2003 season. Three years later in Super Bowl XLI, he scored the Bears' only offensive TD on a 4-yard reception in 29-17 loss to the Colts.
- 1997: Corey Dillon, Washington running back (Bengals)
Dillon had a very productive 10-year NFL career with the Bengals (1997-2003) and Patriots (2004-06). Appearing in 150 games with 132 starts, he rushed for 11,241 yards and 82 touchdowns on 2,618 carries. His 11,241 yards rank him 20th on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
Dillon was voted to four Pro Bowls and rushed for at least 1,129 yards in each of his first six NFL seasons in Cincinatti. During his final three years in New England, he rushed for an average of 1,060 yards and 12.3 TDs per season.
- 2006: Roman Harper, Alabama safety (Saints)
Harper was voted to two Pro Bowls in 11 NFL seasons with the Saints (2006-13, 2016) and Panthers (2014-15). He appeared in 156 games with 140 starts, registering 819 tackles, 11 interceptions, 18.0 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. In 2009, Harper helped lead the Saints to their first Super Bowl championship.
- 2011: Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame tight end (Vikings)
Rudolph has been selected to two Pro Bowls while playing his first nine NFL seasons with the Vikings. He has appeared in 128 games with 120 starts, catching 425 passes for 4,154 yards and 47 touchdowns. Rudolph has started all 16 games each of the last five seasons. In 2019, his 4-yard touchdown reception lifted Minnesota to a 26-20 overtime win over the Saints in a divisional playoff game.
- 2015: Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State linebacker (Texans)
McKinney has appeared in 76 games with 73 starts while playing his first five NFL seasons with the Texans. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2018 after compiling 105 tackles, 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks.
4. The only Pro Football Hall of Famer selected with the No. 43 pick in the history of the draft is tackle Dan Dierdorf, who was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971 out of Michigan.
Dierdorf spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Cardinals. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a five-time first-team All-Pro who was named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1970s and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996. Interestingly, he grew up in Canton near the Hall of Fame.
Dierdorf later served as a color analyst, announcing NFL games on ABC's Monday Night Football from 1987-99 and CBS from 1999-2013.
5. The position that has been addressed most with the No. 43 pick over the last 25 drafts has been safety with five. Running back, linebacker and cornerback are tied for second with three apiece. The only position that has not been picked has been guard. Since 1995, 14 of the No. 43 selections have been spent on defensive players and 11 on offensive players.
The only quarterback chosen at No. 43 in the last 25 drafts has been Michigan State's Drew Stanton by the Lions in 2007. Stanton appeared in 38 NFL games with 17 starts over seven seasons with the Lions (2008-10), Colts (2012) and Cardinals (2014-17), completing 52.4 percent of his passes for 4,059 yards with 20 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and a 66.3 passer rating.