Tory Taylor may have been one of the hottest commodities in the 2024 NFL Draft
At first, very few Bears fans knew anything about Tory Taylor, aside from him being a punter. Taylor was the Chicago Bears’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The immediate reaction was that the Bears reached on a player in a position they didn’t need.
Since the pick has been made, it has become clear that Tory Taylor was highly valued among NFL general managers.
CHGO Bears interview with Bears special teams coordinator confirms the high value of Tory Taylor
On Tuesday, Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower confirmed on the CHGO Bears Podcast, that other NFL teams are quite upset the Bears selected Taylor. CHGO Bears host Adam Hoge asked Hightower about the Bears selection of Tory Taylor and what he thinks of it. Hightower brought up that he had received some frustrated text messages from other special teams coaches around the NFL.
Here is what Hightower had to say about the aftermath of the Bears drafting Tory Taylor
“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 (Tory Taylor) was getting to the fifth-round.
We got angry coaches on other teams saying, ‘I can’t believe you guys took him (Tory Taylor), we can’t believe that you did that, In a good way’. ‘we didn’t think you were going to do that’. ‘We didn’t suspect you guys, we got it wrong, and you got it right’. So that’s cool when you hear your peers say stuff like that.
And kudos to Ryan’s staff, because he (Tory 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 form three teams already.”
The clip of Hightower talking about Tory Taylor can be viewed below.
“We got angry coaches on other teams saying I can’t believe you guys took him.”@AdamHoge’s exclusive interview with #Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower drops today at Noon CT!https://t.co/NaGCZsmPmp pic.twitter.com/ad05cJbsf3
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) May 7, 2024
The full episode of CHGO Bears with Richard Hightower can be watched below.
Takeaway’s
Could the Bears have gone defensive edge in the fourth-round? Yes, but the Bears ended up getting their edge rusher in the fifth-round anyway. instead they chose to select a punter who many teams were eyeing as the fourth round began.
It is obvious now that Tory Taylor was by far the best punter in the 2024 draft class. Multiple teams contacted Hightower to tell him that they wanted Taylor as well. Taylor was a high value commodity in the fourth round of the draft.
Punters are more important than a casual football fan might think. Field position can determine a teams odds of scoring. A team pinned within the ten yard line is much less likely to score than a team that starts on the 25 yard line. The longer an offense has to drive, the more fatigue sets in. Long scoring drives are harder to maintain, and can frequently result in a punt.
Tory Taylor allows the Bears to have a high chance of winning the battle for field position. This would mean Caleb Williams gets the ball in his hands more. Which is what you want for a rookie quarterback like him. Williams has all the physical traits one would want from their QB, he just needs to play.
The Bears 2024 draft looks like this, the top ranked QB prospect, a top three ranked wide receiver prospect, the top raked punter, a decent value offensive tackle and defensive edge player. Ryan Poles was able to land three of the best players in the draft respective of their positions.
Once the season starts, Tory Taylor could quickly become one of the most important players for the Chicago Bears. Punters are underrated for the effect and value the bring to an NFL team. Having a good punter could be the difference in a deep playoff run or a wild card exit.
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