Bears Turn Down Under for Help Punting with Tory Taylor

Bears GM Ryan Poles didn't just ignore team needs on defense with their fourth-round pick on Day 3 of the draft.

He ignored offense, as well.

The Bears picked Iowa's unique Australian punter Tory Taylor at No. 122 overall, their final scheduled selection in this year's draft.

Taylor isn't the highest drafted punter ever by the Bears. They took Todd Sauerbrun in Round 2 of the 1995 draft, but it's rare when they have addressed this position with more than a sixth-round pick.

Current punter Trent Gill was a seventh-round pick just two years ago and now appears slated for the waiver scrap heap after averaging 46 and 46.1 yards the last two years. Inconsistency with hang time and distance have been an issue and part of the reason the Bears ranked 19th and 30th the last two years at preventing punt return yards.

Taylor said he had no real contact with the Bears other than a brief combine talk with special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, so he never expected to be picked by Chicago.

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"The funny thing was so many people were messaging me saying, ‘Hope the Bears use their fourth-round pick on you, you’d be great.’ But at the end of the day it’s the NFL and you never really know what’s going on. "

The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Taylor averaged 48.2 yards last year for the Hawkeyes and 46.3 yards over his four years at the school. His ability to maneuver the ball attacted all the scouts' attention as he led the nation with 39 punts downed inside the 20 last year. He had 11 punts of 50 yards or longer and 13 inside the 10-yard line.

"That's what the Bears will get," Taylor said. "For me it's just all about doing what I'm good at. That's what the Bears are going to get: Someone that can kick for distance and hangtime but someone who can also pin them deep and place it wherever he wants."

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Taylor has been to Chicago a few times on visits, including a game at Wrigley Field against Northwestern. His girlfriend is from Winnetka in Chicago's north suburbs.

"Great city and I'm certainly used to kicking in the cold and the poor conditions, which I'm certainly excited for," he said.

As a former Aussie Rules football player, Taylor has the ability to kick it with either foot but hasn't actually attempted a left-footed punt in a college game.

He'll also have to hold for placement kicks, something not exactly a skillset found in Australian Rules football.

"He's good, he's a good holder," said Bears scout Drew Raucini said. "That's one of his strengths.

"You put his tape on, this guy has a big frame. If you have a bad snap that goes high or left or low, he does a very good job of kind of collecting that ball, getting his hands on it, getting it set. So, that's actually a strength of his."