The Chicago Bears made their interest in Tory Taylor obvious once they drafted him in the 4th round. Teams don’t usually invest draft picks in specialists, especially ones who have so few picks to begin with. Remember, Chicago only had four picks total at the time. That 4th rounder was supposed to be their last in the entire draft. That GM Ryan Poles was willing to spend it on a punter spoke volumes about their interest in him. His stellar career at Iowa was hard to argue with. He averaged just shy of 50 yards per punt and was renowned for his ability to pin teams inside the 10-yard line.
The craziest thing is Taylor wasn’t even aware of American football until he was 22 years old. He’d spent the entirety of his teen years living in his home country of Australia, having never seen a single NFL or college game. It wasn’t until he attended kicking camps with connections to the U.S. that coaches and scouts at Iowa became aware of him. LeVar Woods was the program’s special teams coordinator. He spoke to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune about Taylor. He ended up revealing a shocking fact about the Bears’ new punter.
He had never seen a game, never been on a football field. It just wasn’t his life. Once he got here, the first game he ever saw was the first one he played in. I think back to it now, it’s like, “Man, that was a very unique time.” That was also during COVID during 2020, so everything was weird. So at the time, I don’t think I realized how strange it actually was until I look back and think about it now.
He took to football like a duck to water. In his first practice, he reportedly dropped multiple punts inside the 5-yard line, completely flabbergasting his coaches. He bombed a 55-yard punt in his first-ever game. It didn’t take long for him to morph into one of college’s best. Remember, the Bears didn’t get a young kid coming into the NFL. Taylor will be 27 in July. He’s a grown man. This level won’t intimidate him like it might others. That might explain why he’s been putting on a show in almost every practice since he arrived.
The Bear got plenty of razz from fans and media for the decision to draft a punter. They didn’t care. Once other teams called complaining that they stole him, they knew it was the right move. Tory Taylor is not a normal punter. He is special. His array of skills isn’t something you see in most players at that position. Having great players at every possible spot is essential to team success. If Taylor lives up to his massive potential, the Bears will be that much harder to beat.
