The Chicago Bears knew how they wanted the 1st round to go with Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. It went exactly as hoped. From there, it was a long wait until their next pick at #75 in the 3rd round. However, it turns out GM Ryan Poles already had a strong sense of how the board would unfold from there. He knew they would go offensive or defensive line at that next pick. After that, his goal was to land Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the 4th round. The team’s longest-tenured scout, Jeff Shiver, was a big proponent of the Australian native. It would come down to whether anybody else might decide to grab him first.
In the latest episode of 1920 Football Drive, Poles revealed an extra nugget about how the process unfolded. Once the 4th round began, the GM spoke to special teams coordinator Richard Hightower to double-check if he was all in on getting Taylor. He then stated his belief that the punter almost went to the Cincinnati Bengals at #115. They did take a player from Iowa, but it turned out to be tight end Erick All. That was the last noteworthy obstacle, allowing the Bears to get their guy.
They knew they had good odds of getting him in the 4th round long before it even began. At the same time, they also knew he would never get to the 5th round. According to reports after the draft, other teams called Hightower upset the Bears pounced on the punter first. They had hoped he’d fall to them. Poles had no intention of letting that happen. The Hawkeyes punter was too much of a weapon to justify waiting any longer. Chicago feels they have upgraded the spot significantly.
Their confidence in him was obvious when they cut Trenton Gill shortly after the draft ended. Tory Taylor has the mixture of leg strength and accuracy most punters struggle to balance. He can boom a 70-yard bomb or drop a dot inside the 10-yard line. Field position was a constant issue for the Bears last season. Taylor should start changing that, giving the defense longer fields and the offense shorter ones. People never recognize the need for a good punter until you have one.
