If there is one thing Larry Borom is used to at this point, it’s being overlooked. He only received one major scholarship offer from a Division I program coming out of high school. That was Missouri, a team known for being a bit of a backwater in the SEC. He gets drafted in the 5th round by the Chicago Bears. Not only is he a later round pick? He’s not even the first tackle they took that weekend, having grabbed Teven Jenkins 24 hours earlier.
So not only was Borom a lesser pick, he’ll be known as the “other” tackle in his own draft class. What makes this such a shame? A lot of people are convinced it wouldn’t be this way if the 22-year old had waited. If he’d chosen to not forgo his senior season to enter the draft. According to Sean Hammond of Shaw Media, Borom’s offensive line coach at Missouri believes one more year of refinement in his game would’ve turned him into a potential 1st round pick.
He left a year of eligibility on the table and Missouri offensive line coach Marcus Johnson believes he could’ve developed Borom into a day one or day two draft pick.
Johnson understands why Borom left for the NFL. Everyone has to make his own decision. When an NFL paycheck’s on the table, it’s hard to pass up.
Money is always a key factor in such decisions.
Borom comes from a working-class family. Money has always been tight for them. While being a higher pick would’ve been great, Borom couldn’t risk the possibility of getting hurt. So he played it safe by declaring early. This ended up resulting in a contract worth just over $3.8 million. Nothing to sneeze at from his perspective. Now his family gets some welcome financial relief. All the while his coach thinks he landed in the ideal spot.
Johnson told Shaw Local that he believes Borom landed in the perfect spot with Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
“So many coaches in that league are about X’s and O’s and not necessarily developing guys,” said Johnson, who played in the NFL from 2005 through 2009. “It starts with that [development] with Larry. So him being with a great offensive line coach in Juan, I think that he will get the most out of him.”
The Bears haven’t been shy in their praise of Borom since he was drafted. Where many saw just another mid round pick, they’ve made it pretty clear they see somebody who was overlooked. GM Ryan Pace said the team wouldn’t have blinked about taking him in the 3rd or 4th rounds had they held picks in those areas. Castillo himself even said the rookie would compete for the starting job this offseason against Germain Ifedi.
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Larry Borom has that feel of a steal
Marcus Johnson, his offensive line coach at Missouri, knows a thing or two about the position. He was a 2nd round pick in 2005 by the Minnesota Vikings. He ended up starting 18 games in the NFL. Then after becoming a coach, he had a direct hand in the development of Elgton Jenkins out of Mississippi State. The same man who just went to the Pro Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. So the man knows what he’s talking about.
That along with the high praise coming from Juan Castillo offers a ton of excitement with Larry Borom. He might just be somebody who is a lot better than his draft slot would indicate. Especially given the remarkable success the Bears have had in the 5th round in recent years. Adrian Amos, Jordan Howard, Bilal Nichols, and Darnell Mooney being examples.
Could this be another?
The Bears are more than willing to give him the chance. Borom already showed his dedication by dropping 30 lbs during the pre-draft process. He is ready to work. If he takes the instructions of Castillo well, then it won’t be long before his technique and fundamentals are among the sharpest in the NFL. After that, the rest will be up to him showing it on the field.