The Bears drafted three mid round steals

The Bears did some work on day two and three of the NFL Draft.

The Chicago Bears‘ first two draft picks have received plenty of praise league-wide, and rightfully so, but the other three members of the class have also received their fair share of kudos.

In a couple of recent articles, and one recent interview, some neat stuff has been said about third-round selection Kiran Amegadjie from Yale, fourth-rounder Tory Taylor from Iowa, and fifth-round pick Austin Booker.

ESPN’s Senior NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler spoke with NFL executives, scouts, and coaches to gain insight into each team’s draft class, and it seems the league was pretty high on Amegadjie.

The Bears’ two first-round picks (Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze) were all about splash, but the third-round pick will be dear to general manager Ryan Poles’ heart. Poles is a former Boston College offensive lineman whose first high pick at the position, last year’s first-rounder Darnell Wright, has star potential.

The selection of Yale tackle Kiran Amegadjie at No. 75 overall in 2024 has high upside. Multiple scouts say Amegadjie could have been a top-45 pick if not for a quad injury that thwarted his participation in the Senior Bowl.

The Bears considered defensive line with the selection but bet big on the highest player on their board, knowing he’d be gone a few picks after if they didn’t act. The Raiders and Colts both selected offensive tackles shortly after Chicago did.

It’s my understanding that the quad injury is completely healed, so if they got a top 45 talent that far down the board, then he’ll be a huge plus for the depth of the line.

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower recently told CHGO that other teams were ticked off when Chicago picked their [unter in the fourth round.

“Now that the dust has settled and now that the text messages have started between special teams coaches and coordinators, Ryan Poles and his staff did a hell of a job with those mock drafts and being on top of all that stuff. Because there was no way he [Taylor] was getting to the fifth round,” Hightower said in the interview.

“We got angry coaches on other teams saying, ‘I can’t believe you guys took him, we didn’t think you were going to do that’ — In a good way — ‘We didn’t suspect you guys, we got it wrong, and you guys got it right,’ So that’s cool when you hear your peers say stuff like that.”

Drafting a punter in the fourth round riled up some of our fans, and some analysts questioned the value, but field position matters in the NFL, and teams had Taylor ranked accordingly.

“And kudos to Ryan’s staff,” Hightower continued, “because he [Taylor] wouldn’t have lasted till the back end of the fourth and definitely would have been gone in the fifth. I’ve gotten that confirmation from three teams already.”

Trading back into the draft to pick the high-upside Booker in the fifth was a popular move among fans and analysts alike, as many thought he’d be in play as a fourth-rounder.

The Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar gave the best sleeper pick for each team, and the fifth-round EDGE from Kansas was that for Chicago.

Last season for the Jayhawks, Booker had nine sacks and 38 total pressures, and though he’s a smaller man for the position (6′ 4½’, 240), his speed off the edge speaks volumes, and it will be accentuated over time with a more complete palette of pass-rush moves.

Taylor will have a greater impact on the Bears as a rookie, but Amegadjie and Booker are high-ceiling players who could have long careers in Chicago.