After Cooper DeJean, there's no doubt Tory Taylor was the most intriguing Iowa prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. The wait for Taylor to hear his name is over as he lands with the Chicago Bears with the No. 122 overall pick in the fourth round.
Taylor was regarded as an offensive weapon for the Hawkeyes in 2023, and now the Bears hopes he can be just as dynamic at the next level.
Da Bears!
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 27, 2024
Tory Taylor ➡️ @ChicagoBears #NFLHawks x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Z9dXBE3YuQ
Taylor shattered punting records during his time in Iowa City.
Taylor set the NCAA's 85-year-old single-season yardage record with 4,479 yards on 93 punts in 2023. He also broke the NCAA's single-season and career punt yardage averages with 48.2 in 2023 and 46.3 for his career. On top of that, he was the 2023 Ray Guy winner, won two other Punter of the Year awards, was twice first-team All-Big Ten and was a unanimous All-American in 2023.
With such a hefty resume, it's no surprise the Bears took Taylor so early. Arguably the biggest question mark surrounding Taylor was his age as he'll be 27 years old when he punts away his first NFL ball.
Taylor is the highest drafted punter since Mitch Wishnowsky was taken No. 110 in 2019. There was some hope he could be a top-100 pick, but the board didn't fall favorably for that scenario.
The Bears employed Trenton Gill in 2023. He punted 67 times with a net average of 38 yards per punt, the worst in the NFL. Now Chicago turns to Taylor to flip the field more consistently.
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