The Chicago Bears have one of the more interesting situations at offensive tackle in recent memory. After some injury setbacks, the position has come into focus. Barring something unexpected, their two starters will be Jason Peters on the left side and Germain Ifedi on the right. A nice mix of veteran experience to complement their younger interior. However, a lot of buzz lately has centered around Larry Borom. The Bears’ 5th round draft pick. Much of it coming from offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
He stated weeks ago that Borom is considerably more gifted than his draft status would indicate. Head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace backed him up, stating the rookie had 2nd and 3rd round grades from them going into April. In fact, it turns out Castillo may have been an even bigger fan of the Missouri product than he was letting on. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune revealed how persistent he was in getting information on Borom.
Missouri offensive line coach Marcus Johnson said Castillo called him multiple times before the draft while doing his homework on Borom.
“I told Juan that Larry is a big, nimble athlete,” Johnson said. “If you look at last season, he didn’t look like a tackle type. Most tackles are that lean 6-6, 6-7 type, and he’s built differently than those guys. I think once he trimmed weight and people actually got eyes on him at the pro day, they were probably shocked by what he looked like. He looked like a different dude. There was never a doubt to me as far as his skill set.”
That says a lot.
What stuck out the most to the Bears was how much weight he lost prior to the draft. Reports had him around 350 during his final season at Missouri. He’d dropped 40 lbs by his pro day. This showed his dedication to remake his body for the significant uptick in speed he was going to see at the NFL level. Castillo and other noticed the difference immediately during his first padded practice at Family Fest. He was taking on Khalil Mack in one-on-one drills and holding his own.
If not for a concussion, the team might’ve seriously considered handing him the starting job in the wake of Teven Jenkins’ back surgery. As things went, the job likely belongs to Peters. Even so, Borom didn’t look out of place in his first preseason action. Despite some mistakes, he looked sharper than expected blocking for Justin Fields.
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Juan Castillo usually has a good eye for left tackles
His track record speaks for itself. His first offensive line coach job came in 1998 when the Philadelphia Eagles promoted him to that position. Their 1st round draft pick that year was Tra Thomas. A man who went on to become a three-time Pro Bowler. Then in 2009, he convinced the Eagles to trade for Peters from Buffalo despite some reservations about the man’s pass protection. He was a first-team All-Pro two years later.
It didn’t stop there either. Juan Castillo was running the line in Baltimore when the Ravens drafted Ronnie Stanley in the 1st round in 2016. He has become a Pro Bowler as well. Last but certainly not least? He was the line coach in Buffalo the next year when they drafted Dion Dawkins in the 2nd round. He’s been their left tackle ever since. The lesson? When Castillo zeroes in on somebody he thinks has potential for that position.
You might want to listen to him.
That is why the Borom situation is so exciting. Not only has he transitioned to the position surprisingly fast, but he’s also got the attention of several people who know a thing or two about good offensive line play. Now he has a chance to also learn from one of the best in Peters. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he’s starting in that spot by next season.