Being a late round draft pick is both fortunate and unfortunate in many ways. As a rookie, it pretty much guarantees a player will stick on a team’s roster for that first season. However, being a late round pick also means a team is less inclined to hang onto said player if they fail to make an impact. Recent Chicago Bears draft history offers plenty of those examples.
Tayo Fabuluje, a 6th round pick in 2015 was gone after one season. The same went for Jordan Morgan, a 5th round pick in 2017. Kylie Fitts, a 6th rounder in 2018 made it just two seasons before he was sent on his way. GM Ryan Pace has shown no qualms about giving up on late draft picks if he gets the sense from the coaches that they don’t offer much.
According to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, there is a sense this fate possibly awaits Duke Shelley. Fans will remember him as a 6th round cornerback out of Kansas State last year. Somebody the team felt had high potential as a cover corner. His stance on the team is now anything but a guarantee.
“The Bears could potentially keep five safeties. What do you do with nickel back Duke Shelley, a 2019 sixth-round pick, after Kindle Vildor was drafted in the fifth round this year? Secondary coach Deshea Townsend sounded enamored with Vildor.”
Chicago Bears draft this year did Shelley zero favors
Shelley dressed for nine games last season. He saw eight total snaps on defense, failing to record any stats. The rest of his time was spent on special teams. He didn’t really stand out there as well. So it can’t be a huge surprise the Bears decided to invest heavily at cornerback this year. Prince Amukamara was out. Buster Skrine is in his 30s. They needed more depth.
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So Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor were drafted. Both just as athletic as Shelley but also taller. Combine that with the arrival of former 1st round pick Artie Burns who has a much better history on special teams? It’s becoming difficult to find a place where the 23-year old fits in. This training camp will undoubtedly be the biggest month of his football career.