Ozzy Trapilo isn’t being eased into anything. The 2nd round pick from Boston College has a green light to chase a starting job on the offensive line. That tells you how much the Chicago Bears trust him to earn it. Head coach Ben Johnson has repeatedly reiterated that his polish level is rare for a rookie. Trapilo knows many of the tricks of the trade that most guys his age haven’t even heard of. No doubt that comes from having worked under a coaching staff littered with former NFL guys.
Former tight end Clay Harbor has kept a close watch on the Bears’ offensive line situation for Chicago Sports Network. Trapilo has flip-flopped with Kiran Amegadjie taking snaps at left tackle with the #1 offense. From what he’s seen, Harbor admitted the rookie already looks like a veteran. It reminded him of a former teammate from his playing days: Ryan Ramczyk. For those who don’t know, he was an All-Pro tackle for the New Orleans Saints. That is certainly quite a name drop.
The Ozzy Trapilo comparison to Ramczyk feels poetic.
Why? One of the key people who drafted the future star in New Orleans was offensive line coach Dan Roushar. That is the man who now occupies the same job with the Bears. It would be an incredible twist of fate if he managed to find a similar player at two different stops. Chicago hasn’t had a tackle of Ramczyk’s quality for literal decades. The last one to claim that honor was Jimbo Covert in 1986. Ozzy Trapilo has a long way to go before he reaches that level. Even so, it is a great sign that he’s already making that sort of impression. If it continues on this track, he might steal the starting job out from under Amegadjie and Braxton Jones.
