Easily one of the best stories of 2021 for the Chicago Bears is Larry Borom. Nobody had a clue who the young offensive tackle was when the team drafted him in the 5th round back in April. All they learned was he played at Missouri and was the second tackle they’d taken in the draft. An unusual move considering the other needs on the roster. Yet Borom had big admirers inside Halas Halla, particularly offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
He impressed a lot of people when he showed up for pre-draft workouts 20 lbs lighter than his supposed 350 lbs weight. A sign he was willing to put in the work to get better. As the spring and summer unfolded, the Bears began to realize the kid had more potential than even they thought. His mixture of size, athleticism, and fluid footwork was quite enticing. Sadly his progress was stunted somewhat when he suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener against the Rams.
That didn’t seem to deter him though.
When Borom returned last month, he was immediately inserted as the starting right tackle. Considering he’s faced the likes of Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt since then? One can safely say his performance up to this point is well above expectations. Just one sack allowed in four games. The kid is establishing himself as a starter. If that weren’t crazy enough, his backstory might have it beat.
Bears play-by-play man Jeff Joniak got the chance to sit down with Borom and talk about how he got into football. Where he came from and what drives him. It was during this interview that a wild story was revealed. It turns out a big reason he was able to even play football was thanks to a minivan his mother got for him when he was 16. A van he would drive all the way through the end of high school. The best part? That is who she got it from.
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Everybody has a story and Larry Borom has a great one
It is crazy to think what twists and turns an athletic career can take. Just imagine where Borom would be right now if his mom weren’t able to score that van. Would he even be playing professional athletics? It is crazy to think a guy just trying to earn a few extra bucks ended up lighting the fuse on a journey that would land a kid in the NFL. This is why life can be so awesome. There is no scripting it.
The path ahead for Larry Borom is clear. If he continues working hard and finetunes his technique, there is no question that right tackle job could be his permanently moving forward. From there the Bears will want to see what they have in Teven Jenkins on the left side as well. Presuming both of them end up being viable players? That could make the 2021 draft class one of the most unique in franchise history.
Finding a QB and two starting tackles in three straight picks?
That is unheard of. No doubt it’s a big reason Ryan Pace is not quite in the same hot water as Matt Nagy at this point. Hopefully, Borom will continue to improve. Six games remain in the season. Plenty of big tests are still to come including this Sunday against Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.