The Bears are one of oldest franchises in the NFL and have some of the most interesting players in history. They have had several first round selections, some of them good, some of them bad and some of them memorable. Here's a look inside some of the most memorable first round picks in the history of the Chicago Bears including the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Chicago Bears have been drafting since the NFL draft started back in 1967. Their first pick that year was Loyd Phillips, a defensive end out of Arkansas. Phillips played for the Bears from 1967 to 1969 and didn't make much of an impact on the team during his short stink in Chicago.

In 1968, the Bears took running back Mike Hull out of USC. He played for the Bears from 1968 to 1970, not making much of an impact either. In 1969, Chicago took Rufus Mayes, an offensive tackle from Ohio State. Mayes played just one season with the Bears before leaving to another team.

In 1970, Chicago selected George Farmer, a wide receiver from UCLA. Farmer stayed with the Bears from 1970 to 1975 becoming fairly productive his first two seasons but falling off after that. Joe Moore, a running back out of Missouri, was taken in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft and played just two seasons with the Bears.

The Bears had two first round picks in 1972. Those picks were Lionel Antoine, an offensive tackle from Southern Illinois, and Craig Clemons, a defensive back from the University of Iowa. Both Antoine and Clemons stuck with the team until 1977.

In 1973, Chicago selected Wally Chambers, a defensive end from Eastern Kentucky, and after some less than stellar performances they finally got someone who was able to produce pretty well. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl three times, and was selected as the NFC Defensive Player of the Year. In 1974, Chicago took linebacker Waymond Bryant out of Tennessee State. Bryant played from 1974 to 1977.

In 1975, Chicago picked a player that would become one of the most productive and most popular players in Chicago Bears history. His name was Walter Payton and he would go on to go win several accolades and break many records. His achievements include breaking the all-time rushing and combined yardage records, was named to the Pro Bowl nine times and was named an NFL All-Pro seven times. His courage and demeanor on the field is the stuff of legends.

In 1976, Chicago took Dennis Lick, an offensive tackle from Wisconsin. He played from 1976 to 1981. Ted Albrecht, an offensive tackle from the University of California was the next player to be taken in the first round by the Bears in 1977 and he stuck with the team from 1977 to 1981. The Bears selected Brad Shearer, a defensive tackle from Texas in 1978 and he played for the Bears from 1978 to 1980.

The Bears had two picks in the 1979 NFL Draft. Both would go on to make big names for themselves with one of them going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after retirement. Dan Hampton, a defensive tackle out of Arkansas, played with the Bears from 1979 to 1990, went to four Pro Bowls, and was named to the NFL's first and second teams six times. Al Harris, a defensive end and linebacker from Arizona State, played from 1979 to 1988 and was well known for holding out during the Bear's Super Bowl season in 1985.

The year 1980 saw the Bears draft another piece of their 1985 Super Bowl team in Otis Wilson, a linebacker out of Louisville. Wilson played for the Bears from 1980 to 1987 and had a pretty successful career in Chicago. In 1981, the Bears drafted yet another piece of their Super Bowl puzzle by taking USC offensive tackle Keith Van Horne. Van Horne played from 1981 to 1993 and had a great career.

The 1982 NFL Draft saw the Bears grab the quarterback who would help to lead them to their Super Bowl. Jim McMahon, a BYU graduate, would be this leader in 1985 and provided comical relief for the NFL and the City of Chicago. The Bears continued to put together their Super Bowl team in 1983 with the drafting of both Jim Covert, an offensive tackle out of Pittsburgh, and Willie Gault, a wide receiver out of the University of Tennessee. Covert played from 1983 to 1990, going to two Pro Bowls. Gault, a speedster at the wide receiver position, played for the Bears from 1983 to 1987.

The Super Bowl team building continued in 1984 when the Bears took Wilber Marshall, a linebacker out of Florida. Marshall played from 1984 to 1987 and went to two Pro Bowls while in Chicago. In 1985, the year that Chicago went to their first Super Bowl, they drafted a now famous defensive tackle out of Clemson named William Perry. More commonly known as the “Refrigerator”, Perry played on the team from 1985 to 1993 and is still an icon in Chicago today.

Following their Super Bowl season, Chicago took a step towards replacing an aging Walter Payton by taking running back Neal Anderson out of Florida in 1986. Anderson played in four Pro Bowls and stayed with the Bears from 1986 to 1994. Chicago made a move to shore up their quarterback position in 1987 by drafting Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh in the first round. Harbaugh had a solid career with the Bears and played in Chicago until 1993.

Chicago had two first round picks in 1988. They took running back Brad Muster out of Stanford and a wide receiver out of LSU named Wendell Davis. Muster played for the Bears from 1988 to 1992 while Davis played for Chicago from 1988 to 1993, his career ending on two knee injuries (both at the same time). In 1989, Chicago took two more players in the first round. Clemson cornerback Donnell Woolford was taken first followed by Florida defensive end Trace Armstrong. Woolford played for the Bears from 1989 to 1996 while Armstrong was with the team from 1989 to 1994.

In 1990, Chicago took a future superstar with their first round selection, taking safety Mark Carrier out of USC. Carrier was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1990 and he played in three Pro Bowls. Carrier was with the Bears from 1990 to 1996. In 1991, Chicago drafted Stan Thomas, an offensive tackle out of Texas. Thomas was a failure with the Bears and he played just two seasons in Chicago.

Alonzo Spellman, a defensive end from Ohio State, was taken by the Bears in the 1992 NFL Draft. He played with the Bears from 1992 to 1997 and then had a variety of interesting issues after that. In 1993, the Bears selected speedy wide receiver Curtis Conway out of the University of Southern California. Conway wasn't quite as productive as the Bears had hoped, but he did play for the Bears from 1993 to 1999. Defensive end John Thierry out of Alcorn State was drafted in 1994. Thierry didn't pan out so well for the Bears (Chicago went though a rough time with draft picks during the 1990's) and he played in Chicago for just four seasons (1994 to 1998).

The Bears grabbed running back Rashaan Salaam with their first pick in the 1995 NFL Draft and, once again, he failed to make a huge and lasting impact on the team and played only three seasons with the Bears (1995-1997). The 1996 NFL Draft saw Chicago take Mississippi State cornerback Walt Harris. Harris played in Chicago from 1996 to 2001 and did impact the team in a good way. The Bears didn't have a first round pick in 1997 so in the second round they took tight end John Allred out of USC. Allred played for the Bears from 1997 to 2000.

The first round pick of the 1998 NFL Draft turned out to be another disappointment for the Bears and their fans. Running back Curtis Enis would play from 1998 to 2000 and he never really put up the kind of numbers that the Bears had hoped he would. In 1999, Chicago took what many consider to be the biggest bust for a player in team history when they grabbed UCLA quarterback Cade McNown. McNown was a complete and utter failure. He only played two seasons with the Bears (1999-2000) and was out of football soon after. There would be brighter days ahead however.

The 2000 NFL Draft saw the Bears take a player who would not only become one of the most popular players in Chicago Bear history but also become one of the more dominant players in the NFL. Linebacker Brian Urlacher, a New Mexico alumni was taken with Chicago's first pick and he has paid dividends for the team. He has been to six Pro Bowls, was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Rookie of the Year. He has been, and continues to be, the heart and soul of the team and is one of the top defenders in the NFL.

The 2001 NFL Draft saw the Bears take yet another player that didn't quite work out for them and this player was Michigan wide receiver David Terrell. Terrell had a problem with his work ethic and talent and only played from 2001 to 2004. The Bears nabbed another “flop” in 2002 when they took Boston College offensive tackle Marc Columbo. Columbo spent a lot of time out with injuries and played in Chicago from 2002 to 2004.

The Bears had two picks in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. One, another sort of "flop" for the team, and the other pick would end up being their current starting quarterback. Defensive tackle Michael Haynes out of Penn State played well for the Bears but didn't fit into scheme when head coach Lovie Smith came to Chicago. He played with the Bears from 2003 to 2005. Grossman, a quarterback out of the University of Florida, is the Bears current starting quarterback. He had a rough start to his pro football career, suffering injuries during his first three seasons but had a pretty good fourth season leading the Bears to the Super Bowl in the 2006-2007 season.

In 2004, Chicago took what many people consider to be the player who would turn out to be a rock on the defensive line as well as a future all-star. With their first pick, Chicago selected Oklahoma defensive tackle Tommie Harris and he has been one of the best players on the team. He has already been to two Pro Bowls and has become a very valuable member of the Bears defense. A year later, the Bears took the player who would become their starting running back for 2007. That player is Texas running back Cedric Benson. He will have his work cut out for him in 2007 replacing Thomas Jones who was an effective starter for the Bears but is now gone. Benson will have to come in and fill his shoes.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Bears traded away their first round selection to Buffalo and opted to take Danieal Manning with their first choice in the second round. Manning ended up starting at a safety position in 2006 and helped lead the team to the Super Bowl. He will continue to have success for several seasons to come. Finally, just this spring, the Bears took a player who could become a savior for their offense. Miami Hurricane's tight end Greg Olsen was taken in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft and he promises to pay dividends for the Bears in the future.

Looking back on the first round success stories, the Bears had periods in their draft history where they would hit the nail right on the head in terms of talent. Success stories like Hampton, Payton and Urlacher serve to show the rich draft history the Bears have enjoyed since the draft's inception. However, just like any other team in the NFL, the Bears did have a downside to some of their first round picks (see McNown, Thomas and Terrell) but they seemed to have persevered.

The Bears are a storied franchise with a storied draft history and will continue to make history with their first round picks. With such a colorful cast of characters in the past, there is no doubt that the Bears will continue to grab some of the best and most interesting talent available and help continue to build upon their legacy.