Bears’ third-day rookies draw national attention

The Bears’ rookies are generating excitement, even if they’re not the players most might expect.

Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze spent training camp, the offseason and the preseason dominating the headlines, but it appears that Bears fourth-round kicker Tory Taylor and fifth-round edge rusher Austin Booker have at least caught the eye. Bucky Brooks, NFL.com analyst.

It’s not as hard to see what they did as it is for some rookies with other teams, as these two in particular were featured in Episode 3 of Hard Knocks, and in small moments in other episodes as well. But their performances in matches, and especially Taylor’s in practice, have exceeded the usual expectations for rookies.

In an article naming the NFL’s 10 overlooked rookies who showed serious flashes in the preseason, Brooks named both Bears among the 10.

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Brooks calls Booker “…an extraordinary athlete with a high-revving motor and exceptional first-step quickness.”

Booker had 2 1/2 sacks in the preseason, though that number appears to deprive him of half a sack because it looked like three sacks on video replay.

“As he acclimates to the professional game and settles into his role as a ‘see the ball, get the ball’ defender on the edge, the Bears may have discovered the perfect complement to Montez Sweat on the passing side,” Brooks writes.

Taylor’s attraction to coach Matt Eberflus is evident.

“The ability to turn the field around with the kicking game is a top priority, especially for defensive-minded coaches,” Brooks wrote. “Matt Eberflus has a dangerous weapon with Taylor handling the punts in the Windy City. He shined, averaging 58.6 yards on his five preseason punts.”

Brooks points out that Taylor was the only punter drafted this year.

None of the other players named on this list are from the NFC North, and only the Chiefs have two on the list like the Bears: undrafted running back Carson Steele and second-round tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

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