The Chicago Bears 2021 draft class has received more love and affection from the wider NFL than people can ever remember. It’s not just their high picks like Justin Fields or Teven Jenkins either. Even their late round picks have gotten tons of praise. Most of it is centered on their 6th round blitz of guys like Khalil Herbert, Dazz Newsome, and Thomas Graham Jr. One guy who hasn’t gotten much attention though is Khyiris Tonga.
It shouldn’t be a surprise. There are multiple reasons why the kid isn’t talked about. First of all, he’s a 7th round pick. Guys who go that late rarely get much hype. Secondly, he’s a nose tackle. Perhaps one of the more boring positions in football from a statistical perspective. Lastly, he comes from BYU. Not exactly one of the power programs in the country.
Even so, Tonga still has plenty of fans.
Especially in the college coaching community. Adam Rittenberg of ESPN spoke to several of them about the 2021 class. When the subject of possible steals in the later rounds came up, quite a few of them singled out Tonga as somebody who is way better than his draft slot suggests. People don’t understand how good he was for BYU because their quarterback Zach Wilson was hogging the attention.
Several coaches mentioned BYU defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (Bears) as a strong seventh-round addition, especially if he can cut his weight.
“For an odd-front team, put him on the center, he is so strong and quick-twitched that he can last in the league,” a Power 5 coordinator said. “To get him in the seventh round was a plus.”
While the individual stats don’t tell the full story, the team stats might. BYU finished 2020 with the 19th-ranked run defense in the country. It was 13th among teams that played at least 10 games or more. A huge part of that was Tonga’s presence in the middle. Opponents often struggled running the ball in his direction thanks to his ability to eat up space and anchor against double teams.
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Khyiris Tonga is exactly what the Bears were missing in 2020
A viable depth option at nose tackle. Nothing caught the Bears’ defense more off guard last season than the loss of Eddie Goldman. Their star nose tackle opted out due to concern over the pandemic. A decision that left the team with no viable option to replace him. They were forced to sign veteran John Jenkins for help and also shifted Bilal Nichols to nose tackle in order to plug the void.
It didn’t help much. Chicago’s run defense fell from 9th in 2019 to 15th last year and it could’ve been a lot worse if they hadn’t played some rough opponents late in the season. Khyiris Tonga can be the man who solves that problem. He gives the Bears much-needed depth behind Goldman in the middle. Somebody who can play that nose tackle spot, occupying blocks and helping teammates to gain one-on-one matchups.
Yet his value goes beyond that.
Bears scout David Williams pointed out Tonga didn’t get enough credit for how good he was at generating interior pressure. It doesn’t show in his stats because that wasn’t always his job. Yet there are flashes on tape that show his surprising quickness for such a big man. He could serve as a nice reserve option in the pass rush package as well should the need ever arise. Another reminder of how much value the Bears got with that pick.
