Ben Johnson gives positive updates on the development of two 2024 draft picks who didn't quite live up to expectations as rookies
The Chicago Bears 2024 draft class can be considered a success just off the first overall pick alone after finding a franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams. Things got even sweeter after landing wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick, but the class after that struggled living up to expectations.After selecting Williams and Odunze, […]
The Chicago Bears 2024 draft class can be considered a success just off the first overall pick alone after finding a franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams. Things got even sweeter after landing wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick, but the class after that struggled living up to expectations.
After selecting Williams and Odunze, the Bears only had three other selections in the entire draft. Those selections were punter Tory Taylor, offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, and defensive end Austin Booker.
Overall, Taylor played really solid during his rookie season in the NFL handling the punt duties, but the other two didn't quite live up to what many fans expected, although that wasn't expected to be the plan in 2024.
Both Amegadjie and Booker were drafted to be long-term developmental prospects and not expected to have high impacts during their first NFL seasons.
Amegadjie, especially, wasn't ideally expected to offer much in 2024 coming off a serious quad injury that limited his offseason and early-season availability while coming from a smaller program at Yale. However, due to injuries and the lack of quality depth up-front, Amegadjie was thrown into the fire.
In Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings, Amegadjie was forced to make his first start at left tackle on the road against one of the best defensive coordinators and defensive fronts in football with Braxton Jones out due to injury.
As a result, the Vikings pinpointed Amegadjie as a clear target and attacked him all game long, a game in which he allowed one sack, four pressures, and had four total penalties. It was evident he wasn't ready, and the results fall more on the staff and roster management than his own abilities on the field.
On Tuesday during the League Meetings, new head coach Ben Johnson weighed in on Amegadjie's season and defended how Amegadjie should be perceived as a player following a rough first campaign.
“I liked Kiran a lot coming out last year,” Johnson said. “He was a guy we had earmarked as a potential developmental prospect. He had a lot of traits to work with. I don’t know if the vision last year in Chicago was for him to have to play so quickly. But they were kind of forced into that spot. And so he had some ups and some downs, as you would normally think for a rookie lineman, much less one who you thought would take a little more time to get playing at a high level…
"We’re not discouraged at all by what he put on tape. He got put into some tough situations last year. And I know (offensive line coach Dan) Roushar has been really, really excited to get to work with him soon."
Even through all the tough situations, Amegadjie himself recognized he needs to improve going forward and use what he experienced in 2024 to learn from those mistakes and fuel his continued development in the league.
“I played with bad technique,” Amegadjie said back in December. “I played outside myself. I worked hard to be ready for [that] game, the whole week. Didn’t know I was going to be the starter the whole week, but I prepared like it. I just didn’t play within myself when it mattered most…
“I was prepared. I was locked in on the game plan. There was nothing that confused me, or no looks where I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ve just got to play better.”
It's great to see Johnson backing the young offensive tackle because he's someone who still has some promise if he's coached and developed the right way.
Prior to the draft, Dane Brugler listed Amegadjie as a Top-100 prospect but noted "his physical ingredients and competitive drive are the foundational elements that pro coaches want to develop" and how he can eventually become an NFL starter.
The Bears still have big plans long-term for Amegadjie based on what Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles continue to say about him.
As for Booker, the team's fifth-round selection last April, the rookie season was a bit more fruitful but not as productive as he would have liked.
Booker mainly played in a rotation behind Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker along with Darrell Taylor and Dominique Robinson. He still managed to appear in all 17 games recording 1.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss.
Booker is set for a similar role in 2025 as a rotational piece behind Sweat and newly signed edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, but will be playing in a new system under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
At the league meetings, Johnson also shared that Allen would like to see Booker add some weight this offseason to help him better set the edge and defend against the run. As for his skillset, that's something Allen has been excited about.
All of this to say, don't write these guys off just yet because of one disappointing season. The Bears drafted Amegadjie and Booker to develop, and development takes time before seeing the true potential on the field.
And with the reviews from this new coaching staff coming in, things will look even more optimistic for these two eventually contributing even more throughout their time in Chicago.
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