It is difficult to get excited about the Chicago Bears as a team at this point in 2021. They’re 4-8, almost out of the playoff picture, and staring down a potentially brutal night at Lambeau Field. However, this doesn’t mean people can’t find silver linings around the roster in the form of individual efforts. Especially in regards to the most recent draft class. Outside of Justin Fields, nobody has gotten more attention lately than Larry Borom.
This in itself is surprising considering many fans had no idea who he was when the Bears picked him in the 5th round back in April. The offensive tackle had flown under the radar in college, a byproduct of playing on bad Missouri teams. Yet the big kid showed enough talent to catch the eye of Bears scouts. When he was still there in the 5th, they just couldn’t pass on him. Even after taking Teven Jenkins in the 2nd round.
They must be thrilled they did.
After a strong training camp, Borom eventually found himself the starting right tackle on offense. This was after Germaine Ifedi endured a tough knee injury. Initial returns were encouraging. The rookie held his own against some top-notch pass rushers like Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt. Could he show steady improvement though? Based on his tape from last Sunday against Arizona, that is a yes. It might’ve been his best game yet. Here are a few examples.
Larry Borom pass protection #1
What is most encouraging about Borom is his footwork. Not only is it so quick for a man somewhere between 320 and 330 lbs, but it is clearly fluid and well-practiced. See here how he bursts out of his stance, able to mirror Cardinals pass rush Markus Golden. He walls off the edge well, giving Andy Dalton plenty of space in the pocket to eventually dump the ball off to David Montgomery for a big gain.
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Pass protection #2
One of the primary challenges every young offensive lineman faces when getting to the NFL is hand usage. The best pass rushers are savants when it comes to using their hands to manipulate blockers into bad positions. So one must understand how to use his own hands in order to keep the rusher at bay. Borom does a terrific job here. He manages to get his paw on Golden’s left arm, shoving it away from his body and immediately killing the momentum of the initial rush. Dalton finds Damiere Byrd to reach the 1-yard line. Montgomery would score on the next play.
Run block #1
The most encouraging part of what Larry Borom did in the game was run blocking though. This was considered his bigger weakness coming out of college. For all his size and power, he wasn’t the best at helping open holes. One thing that stood out against Arizona was his ability to find blocks at the second level. Here he seals off the edge and then slides his feet in order to pick off #58 Jordan Hicks, ensuring Montgomery was untouched for the first 10 yards of the run.
Larry Borom got Hicks not too long later. This time a solid play design allows James Daniels and Jimmy Graham to easily block two Cardinals defenders, leaving the rookie 1-on-1 with the linebacker. He gets to that level quickly, squares his body, and drives Hicks back long enough for Montgomery to zoom past for one of the biggest runs of the day.
This is just a sampling of what the young tackle did in that game. While it wasn’t enough to stop Dalton from throwing four interceptions, it was still a strong performance. One that offers hope he can indeed be a central part of their future.
