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Brian Urlacher, the Bears' accidental middle linebacker: 'They did the right thing'

Call him perhaps the Bears’ all-time Accidental Draft Hit. Indeed, Brian Urlacher landed in Chicago as much by chance as by Bears' choice. That Urlacher this weekend is a Hall of Fame finalist sets the stage for an exclamation point to the reality that it was the fortuitous choice/chance for both.

Going into the 2000 draft, the Bears held the No. 9 pick of the first round, and they had a cluster of players they’d determined to be worth that level of pick. Urlacher was among those.

When the Philadelphia Eagles selected defensive tackle Corey Simon at No.