Caleb Harris
On the last day of 2024 NFL Draftone of the most surprising choices came from the Chicago Bears, who decided select a bettor in the fourth round.
With the 122nd overall pick, the Bears decided to select Iowa’s Tory Taylor, who became just the second punter in the last 10 years to go in the top 125. he maybe he hadn’t been on the board much longer.
According to Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, there were several other teams keeping an eye on Taylor and they were really mad at the Bears for stealing their punter.
“We were angry with coaches on other teams saying, ‘I can’t believe you guys took him. We didn’t think you guys would do that,’” Hightower said this week during a CHGO Sports interview.
Hightower said opposing coaches were shocked “in a good way” and that they were essentially jealous of Chicago’s pick.
“’We got it wrong and you got it right,’” Hightower said of the reaction he received from opposing coaches. “So it’s cool when you hear your peers say things like that.”
While some teams may not be willing to take on a punter so soon, the Bears had to do so because they feared another team might step in and sign Taylor. Hightower gave credit to general manager Ryan Poles for being bold enough to make the pick.
“Congratulations to Ryan and his team, because [Taylor] It wouldn’t have lasted until the end of the fourth and it definitely would have disappeared by the fifth,” Hightower said. “I have already received this confirmation from three teams.”
During a interview with Pat McAfee last weekThe Poles confirmed that the team decided to call up Taylor early because they were afraid that another team would steal him.
“I didn’t expect him to go much further. I definitely didn’t think I would be able to catch him when we got to the fifth round,” Poles said. via NFL.com.
So why were the Bears willing to take such a high-roller in the draft when most other teams have historically avoided a move like this?
“The thought process is to make anyone we play with really uncomfortable,” Poles said. “I didn’t play much in NFL, but I know that running onto the field and having the ball spotted inside the 10 yard line is a very uncomfortable feeling. Sometimes it’s discouraging. And I love taking advantage of my position on the field. And really, that should help us with points as well.”
Taylor was a great prospect because he finished his career as one of the best punters in FBS history.
During the 2023 season, Taylor totaled 4,479 yards punting, which broke the NCAA single-season record that had stood for 85 years. He also averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, which also broke the single-season record. Over his four-year career, he averaged 46.3 yards per punt, another NCAA record.
The Bears ranked last in the NFL last season in net yards per punt and Taylor should help solve that problem in 2024.
