Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack has been voted the 23rd best player in the NFL in a poll of league players conducted by NFL Network.
Mack was featured Sunday on "The Top 100 Players of 2021," which unveiled players ranked Nos. 40-11 over the course of three hours. The countdown will conclude Saturday with a two-hour finale revealing the top 10 players.
Last season Mack was named to his sixth straight Pro Bowl, his third in as many years with the Bears after three in a row with the Raiders. He led the defense with 9.0 sacks, 11.0 tackles-for-loss and two fumble recoveries and tied for the lead with three forced fumbles while recording 50 tackles.
Since he was acquired by the Bears in a blockbuster trade with the Raiders a week before the start of the 2018 season, Mack has forced 14 fumbles, recovered five fumbles and recorded two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in 46 games.
"He only knows one speed, and that's what makes him great," safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. recently said about Mack. "Not everybody has the luxury of playing with people like that. He's just a humble dude. He's a for-sure Hall of Famer, but he's one of the guys. That's the beautiful thing.
"He practices like he's a rookie, like it's Year 1 or Year 2 for him. That's a testament to the type of person he is, type of leader he is, type of player he is. And that's why the defense feeds off him."
