The Chicago Bears didn’t want to miss out on an offensive player that they highly coveted when the run of offensive linemen began in the first-round of the 2013 NFL Draft, so they decided to pull the trigger and select former Oregon standout Kyle Long.
Long was from from being considered a shoe-in for the first-round, but the Bears had a good visit with him during their time in the pre-draft process at Halas Hall. The visits went so well that Long was not surprised to hear his name called by the Bears organization.
“I wasn’t surprised that I ended up getting picked by the Bears,” Long said, via ESPN Chicago.
“I thought I had a great visit with [Bears offensive line coach Aaron] Kromer. I really enjoyed my time in Chicago. I had a great opportunity to sit down and get to know the people in the building. When I walked into O’Hare and was getting ready to fly back home, I had a great feeling about Chicago. Coach Kromer is a great coach, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity of trying to earn the respect of my teammates and hopefully be able to help the Chicago Bears.”
Chicago is expecting big things from Long.
They believe that he has the ability to develop in to a starting caliber offensive tackle in the NFL because of his athleticism, but in order to get immediate contributions and use out of their first-round pick, they plan to use him at left guard.
If Long can turn his physical tools in to production at the NFL level, the Bears will have one heck of a player.