2017 NFL Draft: All-time top five Chicago Bears first round draft picks

Walter Payton, 1975, #4 overall

Fans who got to see Walter Payton play in Chicago during his career had to feel blessed to do so. They felt the experience of having one of the greatest football players ever to do his thing in their beloved city. That is the feeling Sweetness gave people. You felt like you watched royalty.

Payton may have had a small body, but he was indestructible on the field. He played in 190 games over his career, had 3,838 carries, and made 492 catches. In that time, with all those hits he took, he missed just ONE game. Compare that to some of the players today who sit out games at the hint of pain or sickness.

Payton didn’t just take punishment when he played. He didn’t just tiptoe out of bounds to avoid hits; he lowered his shoulder and gave as much as he received. His stiff arm was legendary. It would knock defenders down and keep them down. He also jumped over the pile at the goal line, many times landing on top of his head.

Payton was another one of those players who revolutionized his position. Before he entered the league, most running backs just carried the ball. They were hardly used in the passing game. Payton changed all that. In addition to being a great runner, he was also another receiver coming out of the backfield. With the way running backs catch passes today, it’s difficult to believe that running backs didn’t catch passes out of the backfield.

There wasn’t much Payton couldn’t do on the field. He had 9 career touchdown passes, including one in the playoffs. Also, he returned kicks and even punted. When he retired, he owned eight NFL records, including most rushing yards in a career.

Payton carried the Bears during some lean times. The team won zero playoff games in his first nine seasons. He was an integral part of the famous 1985 Super Bowl winning team, one of the greatest teams of all time.

Payton’s greatness on and off the field is recognized by the NFL today with the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, given to a player annually to a player who excels on the field and off with his volunteer and charity work.

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The tragedy of Payton’s story is that as indestructible as he was on the field, he was just human off it. He suffered from a rare liver disease that ultimately took his life in 1999, at the young age of 45. We will always remember Sweetness and his running kicks and touchdown leaps, however.