Tag: Tory Taylor

Highlights of new Bears punter Tory Taylor

The Bears landed the best punter in college football with Iowa’s Tory Taylor. See him in action:

The Chicago Bears made a statement with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

This came after overhauling the offense with quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Rome Odunze and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie between Days 1 and 2.

General manager Ryan Poles did something that some consider to be foolish in the NFL draft. He selected a punter. In the fourth round. However, this isn’t any old punter. This is Taylor, who was the best punter in college football.

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He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and earning recognition as the Ray Guy Award winner as the nation’s top punter.

Taylor is a great punter with impressive leg strength and the ability to be a game changer that flips the field. He could wind up being one of the best in the NFL at some point.

These are some of his highlights from Iowa that show just how good he is:

Caleb Williams had message for new Bears punter Tory Taylor

Caleb Williams let new Bears punter Tory Taylor know he won’t be punting much in Chicago.

The Chicago Bears made waves with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

While it was a surprising move — especially considering the team has yet to address the defensive line — it’s a sneaky good selection by general manager Ryan Poles, who got a star in Taylor. He’ll be a weapon for this team in how he can flip the field for the Bears defense with his impressive leg strength.

Speaking with the media after his selection, Taylor said he received this text from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams: “Hey, you’re not going to punt too much here.”

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The Bears certainly aren’t the Hawkeyes, whose offense was among the worst in college football. Especially now after Chicago has added to their explosive offense with playmakers including Williams, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Gerald Everett, joining DJ Moore and Cole Kmet.

Taylor wasn’t just a good college punter, he was the best. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter.

It’s also not hyperbole to say that Taylor was Iowa’s offense last season. Safe to say, he shouldn’t be punting as much as he did in college. And, if it’s up to Williams, it’ll be a significant drop-off in total punts for Taylor as he transitions to the Bears.

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Grading the Bears’ selection of punter Tory Taylor in fourth round

The Bears drafted the best punter in college football in Iowa’s Tory Taylor. Here’s how we graded the pick.

The Chicago Bears made a splash with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor with the 122nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

While the selection came as a surprise, it’s a sneaky good move by general manager Ryan Poles, who landed a weapon in Taylor, who was essentially Iowa’s offense last season.

It also addresses a concern on special teams with two-year starter Trenton Gill, who ranked last in the NFL in net average (28 yards) in 2023.

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Taylor wasn’t just a good college punter, he was the best. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter.

Sure, Chicago failed to address their most glaring need along the defensive line. But it also speaks to their evaluation of this group as a whole. They weren’t going to select a defensive lineman for the sake of taking one, especially with an impact player like Taylor available to them.

Overall, the Bears landed an impact player in Taylor, who will serve as an asset to Chicago’s defense. It also ends Gill’s starting tenure, where he’s now expected to be a roster cut. The hope is Taylor won’t have to punt too much — as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams told him — but he’ll be a weapon for this team in how he can flip the field with impressive leg strength.

Grade: B

Chicago Bears select Iowa punter Tory Taylor in fourth round of 2024 NFL draft

From Down Under to the Windy City. Congrats, Tory Taylor!

Iowa standout punter Tory Taylor, a longtime fan favorite, knows his professional destination.

The Ray Guy Award recipient is headed to the Windy City. The Chicago Bears selected Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft with the No. 122 pick.

The Melbourne, Australia, native was beloved in Iowa City as he played a pivotal role in helping guide the Hawkeyes to a 34-15 (25-10 Big Ten) record over the past four seasons.

With Taylor’s ability to flip the field paired with Iowa’s stingy defense, the Hawkeyes tied for the program’s winningest four-year Big Ten stretch.

Taylor ended his Hawkeye career averaging 46.3 yards per punt on a whopping 295 career punts. The Aussie downed 127 of those punts inside opponents’ 20-yard lines.

The 6-foot-4, 225 pound punter will become a revered figure in Chicago in no time as he helps the Bears look to transform into an NFC North mainstay.

The Bears owned the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which they used to select USC quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Chicago used a second first-round selection to draft Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.

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Bears select punter Tory Taylor with 122nd overall pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Bears added a punter in Iowa’s Tory Taylor in the fourth round.

The Chicago Bears have selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor with the 122nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

While it might seem early for Chicago to draft a punter, Taylor is a star at his position. He’ll be a weapon for this team in how he can flip the field for the Bears defense with impressive leg strength.

It’s not hyperbole to say that Taylor was Iowa’s offense last year. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and earning recognition as the Ray Guy Award winner for the nation’s top punter.

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According to Pro Football Focus, Taylor had a 81.4 punting grade (12th) in 2023 and has downed 116 punts inside the 20-yard line since 2020 (which is 37 more than the next best college punter).

Taylor is the second highest drafted punter since 2012.

This was the Bears’ final pick of the 2024 NFL draft. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them trade back into the final rounds, especially considering they’ve yet to address defensive line.

Meet the four Hawkeyes headed to the 2024 NFL combine

Make way for the next wave of professional black and gold standouts. Four Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to the 2024 NFL draft combine.

With the Super Bowl officially in the rearview mirror, we have entered the football offseason. Specifically, we can say it’s NFL draft season.

While fans of some teams have been there for a few months, February is when it really starts to set in. It’s time for fans to try to cram an entire scouting process’s worth of research into two months, and there’s no better place to start than the good ol’ underwear Olympics.

The NFL scouting combine is one of the more divisive events in football. Some see it as a necessary tool to gauge just how athletic these prospects are because it’s hard to tell while going up against college athletes. Others find it completely useless, an underwear Olympics where some players undeservedly shoot up draft boards in one day. Don’t forget the folks out there who will constantly remind you that the interviews are the most important part of the week.

For me, I’ve always loved the combine. The spectacle of it always brings me in, and it helps that Iowa players have been killing it in Indianapolis in recent years.

This year, four Hawkeyes are scheduled to make their way to the 2024 NFL scouting combine. Here’s a look at the four Iowa players descending upon Indy.

Can punting be winning in the NFL? Tory Taylor NFL draft stock update

Tory Taylor’s legacy at Iowa is one best collegiate punters ever. What does the NFL draft stock look like for the Hawkeyes’ punter?

One can rather confidently say Tory Taylor will go down in history as one of the best collegiate punters. He has the stats to prove it: He is the all-time NCAA leader in total punt yards.

His right leg was a weapon for the Iowa Hawkeyes during his tenure. He constantly paired a booming leg with pinpoint accuracy, which helped set up the defense for great success.

Taylor declared for the NFL draft, and punters in the draft are a curious situation. Yes, they are a position of need and a good one can change a game, but the question is how high to draft one.

As Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register pointed out, the highest a punter has been picked since 2010 was No. 110. That is where the San Francisco 49ers selected Mitch Wishnowsky in 2019’s fourth round. Most punters that get drafted are taken in rounds five, six or seven.

There is a belief Taylor will be selected in the 2024 NFL draft, but it will likely be on the final day of the draft if history tells us anything.

NFL Mock Draft Database tracks all mock drafts for prospects and has done so for Taylor. There is a consensus he is going to be drafted, but differing opinions on the round.

Of the 10 mock drafts Taylor has been listed in, six have him drafted in the seventh round, three in the sixth round and one in the fifth round.

Oddly enough, there seems to be a link to keep Taylor in the black and gold in the NFL. Five of the 10 mock drafts see Taylor landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two drafts put Taylor close to home with the Chicago Bears. The other three send him to the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants or Cincinnati Bengals.

Tory Taylor remains a prospect on NFL draft boards and rightfully so. His 2023-24 average of 48.2 yards per punt would already be tied for 12th in the NFL. Taylor had 32 punts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line this year in 14 games. That would be fifth in the NFL in three fewer games.

When and where Taylor gets drafted is an unknown, but one thing can be certain: punting can be winning in the NFL.

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2024 NFL draft: Top 5 punters for the Steelers to consider

These are the five best punter prospects in the 2024 NFL draft.

After long last, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released punter Pressley Harvin III and can now focus on getting that aspect of special teams in order. There are several free-agent punters Pittsburgh could sign but if they look to the draft, here are the five best in the 2024 NFL draft.

2024 Senior Bowl: Day 1 notebook from the first day of practices

2024 Senior Bowl: Day 1 notebook from the first day of practices in Mobile

The 2024 Senior Bowl practices kicked off on a sunny Tuesday in Mobile, Alabama. The National and American teams took to the field at the home of the University of South Alabama Jaguars with over 100 aspiring NFL prospects hoping to show their best in front of hundreds of NFL scouts and media.

Here are some of the notable takeaways from the first day of practices.

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Tory Taylor sets NCAA single-season punting yardage record

Tory Taylor etched his name into the history books. With his opening Citrus Bowl punt, Taylor broke the NCAA single-season punting record.

Tory Taylor has been rewriting the record books for some time in Iowa City. It just so happens that he got to do it one final time for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

With his opening punt in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus the Tennessee Volunteers, Taylor surpassed Michigan State‘s Johnny Pingel’s single-season Football Bowl Subdivision punting yardage record. Taylor sent a record that had stood for 85 years tumbling away.

In perfect Taylor fashion, his first punt was a boomer. It wound up as a 62-yard punt that was downed at the Tennessee 16-yard line.

That punt moved Taylor past Pingel’s 4,138 punting yards on 99 punts in the 1938 season. Taylor accomplished his feat with his 87th punt of the 2023 season. With the punt, Taylor had 4,181 punting yards in his Hawkeye career.

Taylor became the first Hawkeye to win the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation’s best punter. Taylor won the award over fellow finalists Matthew Hayball of Vanderbilt and Alex Mastromanno of Florida State.

For a third consecutive season, Taylor set the Hawkeyes’ single-season punting yardage record. Entering the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Taylor led the NCAA with 86 punts for 4,119 yards. His 47.9 yards per punt average led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz discussed what Taylor has meant to Iowa’s program on Nov. 14, 2023.

“His story is so unusual. It puts a smile on my face. Talking about the ills of college football right now, he was the anti-story of that. He got here, and I remember pulling up to Purdue, and there was nobody on the sidewalk. It was kind of weird. It was like a high school scrimmage, Big Ten game, nobody there. Like, whoa, science fiction movie.

“His first game ever, and he was so naive to college football, American college football. It was kind of refreshing actually, so it was kind of neat. He’s become Americanized now. He’s part of the pack here.

“To watch his evolution, he was obviously talented then, had raw ability and talent. The one thing about him this year that I’ll never forget is just the way he’s practiced. He’s a real craftsman now. He went from a guy who kicked the ball. That’s what he did forever, grew up doing that, punting the ball and all that stuff, but now he is just like, he has such clear focus and intent every time he’s out there at practice. He’s really practiced at a high level,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz touched on the type of leader Taylor has been for his program, too.

“He has been a really strong team leader on top of that. He has a unique perspective, but he’s a really good teammate. He cares about his teammates deeply. Specialist is kind of funny. It’s like a relief pitcher in baseball. Those guys stand out in a different dugout, and they’re away from the main team and all that, but there’s some parallels to that. When they go out there, everybody watches to see what they do.

“He’s in that situation, but he’s done a great job bonding with everybody. I think he enjoys life. I know he seems like he’s really enjoyed his time here in Iowa. We’ve been fortunate to have him come through this place and be part of us. So just thrilled for him. His future, I wish him all the best obviously moving forward, all those guys,” Ferentz said.

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