At least the Chicago Bears had plenty of film on Iowa punter Tory Taylor.
Taylor was a frequent contributor to a Hawkeyes team that was offensively challenged; he got many chances to punt the ball away after a three-and-out. And he did very well punting the ball.
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He did well enough that the Bears took Taylor in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Taylor was the first kicker or punter taken in this year’s draft.
It’s rare to see a kicker or punter go that high, but it does happen. In 2022, two punters went in the fourth round: Jordan Stout to the Baltimore Ravens and Jake Camarda to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Draft History. In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers took Mitch Wishnowsky in the fourth round. Before Saturday, those were the only punters since 2012 to go in the fourth round or higher.
The Bears paid a lot but they got a good one. Taylor won the Ray Guy Award for the best punter in college football last season. He set a single-season record for punting yards, a record that had stood for 85 years, with 4,479 yards last season. Iowa really did punt a lot last season. His average per punt of 48.2 yards last season and his career average of 46.3 yards per punt also set NCAA records.
Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in this draft to the Bears, reportedly sent a text to Taylor saying he won’t be on the field as much as he was in college.
New Bears punter Tory Taylor said he got this text from Caleb Williams: “Hey, you’re not going to punt too much here.”
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) April 27, 2024
Even if Williams’ confident proclamation is right, having a good punter is an asset. The Bears paid up to get a punter, but at least they know what they’re getting.
