Chicago Bears: Ranking the top 10 current players on roster

Experience: Seventh season

Drafted: 2012, third round, 89th overall by NO

It is rare when you find a true 3-4 defensive tackle that can do absolutely anything you ask of him. For Fangio and his group of guys, Akiem Hicks is a dream come true.

Hicks joined the Bears two years ago after spending the previous two seasons with the New England Patriots. He began his career with three seasons under Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints.

Why did either team let him go? That is one really, really good question.

Speaking of a vocal leader, I don’t think there’s anyone more qualified of that title than Hicks. He is the passion and energy behind this defense and he knows it.

Hicks has had two strong seasons with the Bears, and thankfully Chicago locked him up for four years back in September of 2017. All it took was one year for Pace to realize how much Hicks meant to this organization.

Last year, he posted a career high 8.5 sacks after previously setting the bar at seven in 2016. Hicks can absolutely rush the passer, but he surely isn’t a one trick pony.

Many things he does don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet, and impacting the run is one of them.

In fact, Hicks ranked fourth overall among interior defensive linemen when it came to making “impact plays,” according to Pro Football Focus. Hicks tallied 49 quarterback pressures and 44 stops in 2017.

For the defense to take another positive step in 2018, count Hicks as a guy who is on pace to take it up another notch. He has only improved in each year with Chicago, and doesn’t look to slow down anytime soon.