There were plenty of reasons the Chicago Bears drafted James Daniels in the second round. First and most important, he’s a good football player. At just 20-years old he crafted a solid reputation at Iowa as one of the top centers in college football. A driving force behind their strong running game and steady presence when protecting their quarterbacks.
However, pure physical ability can’t be the only factor in drafting a player. Especially when it’s that high in the second round. The Bears needed a few more assurances that they were getting themselves not just a good talent, but a reliable one. That’s why they leaned on their new offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.
His expertise was a vital component to this move, and it turns out his own personal evaluation wasn’t the biggest selling point for him. There was another factor in play, one that several Bears fans might be surprised to learn.
James Daniels pick came from Hiestand’s connection to Iowa coaches
Hiestand spoke with Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic about the current state of the Bears offensive line. He reiterated multiple times that his true evaluations can’t begin on them until the pads go on in training camp. However, that didn’t stop him from dropping some surprise information when it came to their new rookie.
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When asked why Daniels was a target, Hiestand explained a big reason was the man who helped coach him in Iowa. Men the Bears coached alongside at one point in his career.
“No. 1, how well-coached he is. He understands how to block. You put on the film and you know exactly what you’re getting. That jumped out. I’ve known Kirk Ferentz and his son for a long time. Kirk’s very involved with the line. Those guys were taught very similar to how I teach.
Joe Moore was a big influence over Kirk Ferentz, and when I was at Illinois, Joe would spend a week with me and then go to Iowa for a week. He’d fix all my knucklehead, dumb things I was doing as a coach and then go yell at Ferentz for a week, then come back the next spring. It was an awesome thing. Late 90s, early 2000s.
When we spoke, we were always teaching the same thing and speaking the same language. For [Daniels], the way we teach leverage, running guys off the ball, accelerating on contact, all the little details that come from Joe, James does, and he does right now. He’s a tremendous athlete that knows how to block.”
Trusting Kirk Ferentz with offensive linemen has been a wise policy among NFL teams for almost 40 years. He was their line coach from 1981 to 1989 during which time he produced three Pro Bowlers including 1985 Bears guard Mark Bortz. He then ventured to the NFL where he crafted future stud left tackles, Tony Jones and Jonathan Ogden. Then in 1999, he became head coach at Iowa.
The legacy speaks for itself
Iowa produced two more Pro Bowlers under his watch in Marshal Yanda and Brandon Scherff. This also includes three other first round picks in Robert Gallery, Bryan Bulaga, and Riley Reiff. The consistency with which he’s put quality blockers into the NFL is almost unmatched by any other program. Hiestand doesn’t seem the least bit surprised, which would explain his utter lack of concern when the Bears pulled the trigger on Daniels.
