Most football players are a competitive sort. They expect to be the best at what they do. It’s how they’re able to climb the ladder to the NFL. Chicago Bears 6th round pick Duke Shelley. If anything his drive is even greater because he’s who 5’8. It takes that much more effort and will to proven to everybody that he can play with the big boys.
A great way to do that would’ve been becoming a high draft choice. It certainly looked like that was possible after a strong junior year in which he had two interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown. It seemed like things were headed that way. Through the first seven games of 2018, he had three interceptions.
Sadly, his season came to an end when he suffered a torn ligament in his toe while making that final interception against Oklahoma State. He had hoped he could play through the issue, but it became clear the pain was too great. Shelley would miss the final month of his season and it would have dire consequences on his draft stock.
However, the man himself isn’t bitter. Far from it. He now sees what happened as a blessing in disguise.
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Duke Shelley may have been out of the Bears’ reach
Perspective is always key in these situations. Would Shelley have been a Bear had he been able to complete his senior season and attended the scouting combine? It feels unlikely. The cornerback was having a tremendous year on the field. Based on his performance at the Kansas State pro day (4.46 in the 40), there is a strong chance he’d have done well at the combine too.
This easily could’ve pushed into the top 64 picks of the draft and out of the Bears’ reach. Instead he fell to the 6th round and onto the best defense in the NFL under a defensive coordinator known for his specialty with defensive backs. It’s about as perfect a situation as he could ask for. If he plays the way he knows he can, the rest will take care of itself.
