On the surface, the Chicago Bears taking Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie in the 3rd round made some sense. Depth on the offensive line is never a bad thing. Larry Borom is in the final year of his rookie contract. The Bears had to think about options at swing tackle. Amegadjie solves that problem. Competition is also a big thing with GM Ryan Poles. The rookie instantly sends a message to both Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright that they shouldn’t be getting comfortable. They better continue working and playing hard.
While Poles doesn’t think Amegdjie will be ready this year, the Bears fully believe he will compete for a top job by 2025. Most people assume that is one of the tackle spots. However, former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel isn’t so sure about that. Competing with Jones is part of the equation, but that isn’t the extent of Amegdjie’s potential. Gabriel believes there is a more than reasonable possibility the Bears kick him inside to guard.
He has experience playing there from his time in college.
Amegadjie is similar to Jones in size, length and athleticism. The other similarity is coming from a lower level FCS program. Their natural traits are there, so it is just a matter of getting used to playing against NFL level competition. Kiran doesn’t have to start as a rookie like Jones had to. He can be developed more slowly. I feel that as a rookie he will be Bears swing tackle and may also get some reps at guard. In 2025, I expect him to be a starter at either tackle or guard. Jones will also start at guard or tackle, and it will give the Bears a big, strong and athletic combo at the two positions,
Some feel the Bears may have “reached” for Kiran. That is nonsense, as the general feeling around the League was he was going to get picked in the third round because of his natural traits and upside. If you look at the selections made after the Bears took Amegadjie, two of the next five picks were tackles. Neither of those two players have the upside that Kiran has.
Kiran Amegadjie has a clearer path to playing time at guard.
Both Bears starters at the position are talented. There is one problem: Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis can’t stay healthy. The two missed a combined 11 games last season with various issues. Davis has only played one healthy season in his career, and Jenkins has never done so. It makes obvious sense that the Bears would look to add some insurance in case this trend continues. They’ve said their intention is to get the five best blockers on the field. If that means shifting a college tackle inside to guard, so be it.
There is no question Kiran Amegadjie can handle the switch. He has the size to handle bigger defensive tackles. His length would create problems for them. His ability to move would make the outside-zone runs alongside Jones or Wright that much more effective. Together with his good feet and sharp awareness in pass protection, he could make for a great interior option. The challenge is getting him used to the position in the NFL. This will take time as he gets comfortable with the jump in competition.
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@PoochPest —
Recognizing the emphasis you have placed upon player development and competent coaching; and the value I find, not only, in a player’s intrinsic talent but also his total commitment to NFL proficiency — I think we may have found our “chosen one” or even “chosen ones,” in Rome Odunze, and Caleb Williams.
Setting our bar as high as we have, will permit us to “discover truth” very early in the process.
If “greatness” is the natural ability to be better than all others — it will reveal itself, sooner rather than later.
@TGena Hahaha! 40s in the lot! Anyone who wins get to race a cheetah! I like your detailed analysis of players and techniques. It’s great that you recognize (it doesn’t seem that everyone does) the change in culture, and how we build in competitive organizations. If the Bears want to compete against their division, their conference or even remain competitive long term (dynasty?), I just hope Bears management approaches the construction of their team with more of a focus on developing and coaching future prodigies than simply picking up free agents and lucky draft picks. Even the high draft picks… Read more »
@TGena, you made some really good comments!!!
@PoochPest — The “bench” stats available on RAS cards are merely one indicator of an NFL player’s physical strength. One can’t evaluate the on-field proficiency of a player from the “bench” any more than one can from physical measurements, such as “arm length” or temporal measurements such as “forty time.” And yet we persist in reading and comparing the published data. As an indication of commitment to the sport however, and the culture that grows in places like Halas Hall, reps on the “bench” i(along with other grades, 40 times, and feats of strength and skill) are extremely important in… Read more »
Very interesting analysis of this draft pick. Unlike TGena, I’m not as critical of Ryan Poles for “reach” picks in the draft, but of the Bears (at least for 4 decades in the past) of not recognizing how badly they need position coaches to actually coach so many young, raw, small school and inferior competition potential pros, to reach the level their drafting anticipates. TGena identifies strength in a measurable bench repetition to even get in the ballpark of a decent on-field player, but the technique behind interior and outside (edge) blocking is a huge aspect of NFL success. Just… Read more »