Bears use their fourth round pick to select a special teams weapon that won Iowa a lot of games
The Chicago Bears have made their final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, barring any other trade back on the board in the later rounds. With the 122nd overall pick in the fourth round, the Bears have selected an absolute weapon in Iowa punter Tory Taylor. General manager Ryan Poles noted he was targeting a […]
The Chicago Bears have made their final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, barring any other trade back on the board in the later rounds.
With the 122nd overall pick in the fourth round, the Bears have selected an absolute weapon in Iowa punter Tory Taylor.
General manager Ryan Poles noted he was targeting a gold player on Day 3 and landed a player who formerly rocked the black and gold. Taylor is viewed as easily the best special teams player in the entire draft class and the Bears got an absolute field shifter that could go on to decide major games for Chicago.
Taylor mentioned how he met with Bears' special teams coordinator Richard Hightower while at the NFL Combine and always felt like this could be a fit.
"[Hightower] used to coach Mitch Wishnowsky for the 49ers and I really feel like I'm a similar kind of player," Taylor said. "It's really an absolute honor to be a Bear and I can’t really believe it to be honest."
The former Hawkeye was one the most electric players on Iowa's entire roster and single-handedly changed the course of multiple games during the 2023 season.
While many fans will be disappointed in the pick, Taylor is a major upgrade over Trenton Gill after the Bears ranked dead last in average net yardage on punts in 2023.
Taylor ranked sixth in college football in net average and had nearly 1,000 more punt yardage than the next closest punter. His punt total and yardage both set Iowa school records. In terms of accuracy, Taylor had 32 of 93 inside the 20 in 2023 with 40 going 50+ yards.
Taylor now becomes the second highest drafted punter since 2012, although according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler, Taylor was graded as a fourth round prospect, which is exactly where the Bears were able to land him. He's that good.
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He’s going to be special.
