Keep this in mind with Larry Borom. Going into Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, the rookie 5th round pick had participated in only one padded practice with the Chicago Bears. That was the first one at Family Fest. He suffered a concussion that day and missed every subsequent practice for the next two weeks. Then just two days before the Bills game, he’s activated. Rather than sit out, he decides to play. Oh, and to top it off? He played his entire college career at right tackle and will play this game exclusively on the left side.

Borom had every built-in excuse to struggle against Buffalo. Instead? The kid didn’t look out of place. While he had some inevitable teaching moments, there were also flashes of the ability the Bears had been raving about prior to his injury. The quickness, the natural footwork, and the surprisingly solid technique. He more than held his own protecting Justin Fields during the second half.

Here’s one example.

Borom shows a nice kick-slide to stay square with the pass rusher. He then drives the defensive end out of his arc, maintaining the integrity of the pocket and giving Fields plenty of time to survey before taking off to run. Watch how he turns his body to drive #93 out of the play. That is textbook.

Borom’s hands are on display here. He immediately gets them into the body of the defensive end, seizing control of the rep from the outset. After the initial rush fails, #96 is unable to disengage. The Bears rookie completely dominates that block from start to finish.

Here he does a nice job of staying in front of the rush, continuing to shift his feet so he doesn’t lose his balance despite a strong second effort. Borom holds up long enough for Fields to find the outlet pass to Artavis Pierce. Not every block will be perfect. What matters is being able to recover.

Larry Borom still has plenty to work on

There were instances during the game where it was clear he needs work. A number of times Bills defensive ends were able to get into his body and drive him back into the pocket. This is an indication that the rookie needs to work on his anchor. Being able to stand his ground and neutralize a bull rush. One could argue this is a consequence of him dropping 40 lbs from his college weight. He hasn’t yet learned how to compensate for simply leaning on a giant 350-lbs frame.

He’ll also have to master how to keep defenders from getting hands into his body. Remember Larry Borom is 6’5. He’s a big dude. That makes it easier for pass rushers to get under his blocks. This is why he must learn to play with more leverage, keeping his frame as low as possible. Low man wins in the NFL as they say. These are all things offensive line coach Juan Castillo will teach him.

It also doesn’t hurt he’ll have Jason Peters there too.

The future Hall of Famer figures to be the Bears’ starting left tackle this season. At age 39, the man has seen a ton of football. If anybody can show Borom what it takes to play that spot at a high level, it’s him. The rookie has already proven he’s willing to put in the time. It comes down to learning the lessons and then applying them.