No matter the round, it’s always a bit of a head-turner when the first kicker or punter comes off the board in the NFL Draft.
So, on Saturday afternoon, when the Chicago Bears picked in the fourth round with the 122nd overall selection, a lot of folks were wondering: Who is Tory Taylor?
One could make the argument that he was the Iowa Hawkeyes’ most productive player this past season.
"Punters are WEAPONS too… The Bears saved the best for last." – Rich Eisen LOVES the Bears taking Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/XMdyhghosb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 27, 2024
In case you’re one of the NFL fans who doesn’t watch much college football, Iowa’s offense is typically abysmal. The Hawkeyes win games with defense and special teams, which makes Taylor a key part of the equation.
For example: Iowa ranked 132nd out of 133 FBS teams in total offense this past season, but still won 10 games, played for a Big Ten title and in the Citrus Bowl – both games in which they scored zero points.
And when a team’s offense is that bad, it’s punting a whole lot. So, it needs a punter that will put its defense in a position to succeed. And Taylor was simply one of the best at doing just that. Taylor led the NCAA in total punts and punting yards in each of the last two seasons, and his career yards-per-punt average of 48.2 ranks first all-time in the history of the Big Ten and sixth all-time in NCAA history.
Taylor – a 26-year-old native of Melbourne, Australia – won the Ray Guy Award in 2023, awarded to college football’s top punter. The 6-foot-4 right-footed kicker also holds the NCAA record for most punting yards in a season with 4,479 this past season.
And yes, that’s more yards than Iowa gained on offense in 2023.
One could easily make the case that the Bears now have the best quarterback, best wide receiver and best punter of this draft class.
Bears new Punter Tory Taylor is superstar.
Taylor is now the second highest drafted punter since 2012. He's that good. pic.twitter.com/OurguLVSFL
— Dave (@dave_bfr) April 27, 2024
Just don’t ask Taylor to try a fake punt.
