Covert was chosen in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft (sixth overall) by the Chicago Bears and head coach Mike Ditka, himself a former Pitt All-American from Western Pennsylvania. “Jimbo’s the guy we wanted. From Day 1, we put him at left tackle and moved on,” Ditka said. “You don’t get too many people who come along who can make that impact. He had the respect of all his teammates and all his coaches.” He became the starter at the left tackle position and was named to the UPI's 1983 NFL All-Rookie team.