The NFL's Top 50 Draft Classes of the Decade: No. 17 Chicago Bears, 2000

Team Achievements: 81-79, 2006 Super Bowl appearance, 3 playoff berths.

The Bears' 2000 Selections: Brian Urlacher, LB, New Mexico (No. 9)
Mike Brown, S, Nebraska (No. 39)
Dez White, WR, Georgia Tech (No. 69)
Dustin Lyman, TE, Wake Forest (No. 87)
Reggie Austin, CB, Wake Forest (No. 125)
Frank Murphy, RB, Kansas State (No. 170)
Paul Edinger, K, Michigan State (No. 174)
James Cotton, DE, Ohio State (No. 223)
Michael Green, S, Northwestern State (No. 254)

Class Accolades: Brian Urlacher - 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year, 4-time All-Pro, 6 Pro Bowls, NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, 37.5 career sacks, 17 career sacks, 9 career fumble recoveries, No. 2 in tackles in 2002, 1,065 total tackles.
Mike Brown - 2001 All-Pro, Pro Bowl in 2005, 7 defensive touchdowns, 17 career interceptions, 511 tackles in 9 seasons with Bears.
Dez White - 155 receptions, 8 touchdowns as Bears' 3-year starter.
Paul Edinger - Made 110 of 146 field goals during five years NFL with Chicago.
Michael Green - Started 45 games for Bears, recorded 100 tackles in 2002.

Overall Draft Analysis: In 2000, the Bears drafted the decade's face of the franchise, with the No. 9 overall selection. The four-time All-Pro middle linebacker resurrected the "Monsters of the Midway" moniker, while leading the Bears to three subsequent playoff berths and a Super Bowl appearance in 2006. The team's tough, talented playmaker emerged as a marketer's dream, while Chicago became one of the decade's most vaunted defenses. Undoubtedly, the Bears' defense in 2005 (12.6 points allowed per game) ranks amongst the decade's most dominant defenses, along with the Titans and Ravens in '00, Bucs' in '02, and Steelers in'08. A devastating season-ending injury derailed Urlacher's (and the Bears') 2009 campaign, yet, the six-time Pro Bowler has impressively started all 16 games in seven different seasons with Chicago.

Additionally, All-Pro Mike Brown provided considerable contributions to the team's success, during the past decade. Brown became one of the NFC's top playmakers at safety; however, injuries frustratingly shortened four consecutive seasons in Chicago. Green proved a valuable late-round selection, compiling 45 starts for the Bears. On the offensive side, White produced serviceable totals in Chicago, while Edinger served as an average NFL kicker for five seasons with the team. Lyman also started 21 games in five seasons, as a converted tight end from college linebacker, with the Bears. Austin assumed a limited role during a brief stint with the Bears, while Murphy and Cotton never played for the franchise. Ultimately, Urlacher and Co. spearheaded the Bears' resurgence during the decade, and subsequent Super Bowl appearance. The franchise's future aspirations remain inherently influenced by Urlacher's return to dominance, as the defense's most valuable player.

The Bears' "Perfect Draft" in Retrospect
(Keeping trades, only same positions are eligible)
No. 9 - LB Brian Urlacher, No. 39 - S Mike Brown, No. 69 - WR Laveranues Coles, No. 87 - TE Aaron Shea, No. 125 - CB Mario Edwards, No. 170 - RB Mike Anderson, No. 174 - K Paul Edinger, No. 223 - DE Adewale Ogunleye (Undrafted), No. 254 - S Michael Green.

References: All statistics and draft results as reflected on NFL.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com.