{"id":115390,"date":"2024-04-28T03:58:47","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T03:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=115390"},"modified":"2024-04-28T03:58:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T03:58:58","slug":"bears-draft-local-chicago-area-fan-in-absolute-dream-scenario-nguyensa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/bears-draft-local-chicago-area-fan-in-absolute-dream-scenario-nguyensa\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears Draft Local Chicago-Area Fan In Absolute Dream Scenario"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears made big headlines in day one of the NFL draft on Thursday by selecting USC blue chip quarterback prospect\u00a0Caleb Williams\u00a0with their overall no. 1 pick. They also made headlines with the selection of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with their second first-round pick (no. 9 overall).<\/p>\n

The team is hoping that the one-two offensive tandem of Williams and Odunze will pay dividends for years to come.\"Ezoic\"<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears\u2019 third-round pick the following day may have flown under the radar, but it also provides the team with a piece to plug into the rebuilt Chicago offense.<\/p>\n

With the no. 75 pick, the Bears drafted offensive tackle\u00a0Kiran Amegadjie\u00a0from Yale, who just happens to be a local Chicago-area product, from the suburb of Hinsdale, and a lifelong Bears fan.\"Ezoic\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Chicago Bears Go Local For Third-Round Pick<\/h2>\n
\"Yale
Yale offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie (OL03) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium | Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski, USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t even put it into words,\u201d Amegadjie told media. \u201cI grew up a Bears fan, watching Devin Hester, playing Madden 08, 09\u2026This is everything I\u2019ve wanted since I was a little kid, so\u2026I can\u2019t even put it into words. This is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A two-time All-Ivy League offensive lineman, Amegadjie suffered a partially torn left quad that required surgery in October and only appeared in four games. He says, however, that he\u2019s all better and ready to get to business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel really good right now,\u201d he asserted. \u201cI\u2019m ready to get to work. Obviously, it was pretty bad timing for the injury, but God works in mysterious ways and that was the path I had to take to get to where I am today, so, I\u2019m not going to let it deter me from moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kiran Amegadjie: The Scouting Report<\/h2>\n
\"Chicago
Yale Bulldogs offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie (72) blocks Connecticut Huskies defensive lineman Lwal Uguak (98) during game at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium | Credit: Gregory Fisher, USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The scouting reports on the 6-foot-5, 323-pound lineman rave about his natural talent and raw physical tools. They do note, however, that he\u2019s a work in progress. As someone who didn\u2019t get into football until halfway through high school and whose last college season was abbreviated due to injury, he\u2019s still developing in all areas but is projected to be an NFL starter when all is said and done.<\/p>\n

Per\u00a0Dane Brugler of The Athletic:<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a size and athletic standpoint, Amegadjie pops on film, because of his rare length, light feet and smooth body control to mirror pass rushers or create momentum as a run blocker. Though he does a great job repositioning his hands and feet, his inexperience is also apparent when it comes to timing and adjustment fundamentals.<\/p>\n

Overall, Amegadjie is a raw prospect who needs technical and strength work before he sees live NFL reps, but his physical ingredients and competitive drive are the foundational elements that pro coaches want to develop. He projects as a backup left tackle as a rookie who has all the tools to gradually develop into an NFL starter.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not lacking in confidence, the 22-year-old tells a story about a chance meeting with Bears head coach Matt Eberflus last year, where his bold declaration became prophetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast summer, I met Coach Eberflus at a golf club my dad belongs to and I introduced myself. He didn\u2019t know who I was, obviously, and I told him one day I\u2019d be sitting in his office and that next year they\u2019d be looking to draft me. So, he reminded me of that on the phone today.\u201d\"Ezoic\"<\/span><\/p>\n

The Future for The Bears and Amegadjie<\/h2>\n
\"Green
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams holds up his jersey after being selected by the Chicago Bears as the No. 1 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amegadjie, for his part, is willing to put in the hard work to become part of new generation Bears success alongside Caleb Williams.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow could I not be happy? I\u2019m so excited,\u201d he told media. \u201cCaleb [Williams] actually just texted me\u2026I\u2019m excited to get to work with all the guys.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe years and years of work that got me to this point\u2026My real dream is starting now. The real work is starting now. I get to stay home. I get to deal with the team I\u2019ve loved since I was six years old\u2026Honestly, I can\u2019t even believe that it happened. I don\u2019t know if this is real, if I\u2019m dreaming.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears made big headlines in day one of the NFL draft on Thursday by selecting USC blue chip quarterback prospect\u00a0Caleb Williams\u00a0with their overall no. 1… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":115391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115392,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115390\/revisions\/115392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}