Bears take Iowa punter Tory Taylor in 4th round of NFL Draft

If quarterback Caleb Williams struggles, at least the Bears have someone who can kick the ball away.

The Bears drafted Iowa’s Tory Taylor, whom general manager Ryan Poles called “one of the best punters I’ve ever seen,” with Pick 122 in Round 4 on Saturday.

The former Australian Rules Football player finished last season with 4,479 punting yards and a 48.2-yard average, both FBS records. He won the Ray Guy Award last year, given to the best player at his position.

His career of average of 46.3 yards is the best ever in FBS for someone with at least 250 punts.

“Tory’s a weapon for the whole football team,” coach Matt Eberflus said.

Still, Williams isn’t ready to concede the kick on fourth down.

“Caleb texted me before, saying, ‘You’re not going to punt too much,’” Taylor said Saturday.

Punting proved to be an important strategy at Iowa, whose offense notoriously struggled the past few years.

“I’m certainly used to kicking in the cold and poor conditions,” the 6-3, 223-pounder said.

Drafting Taylor likely means the end of Trenton Gill’s starting job, if not his spot on the roster. Gill was last in the NFL in net average last year, with 38 yards.

As the fourth round trudged along Saturday, Taylor joked with his girlfriend, a Wilmette native, that he could end up in Chicago. He playfully counted down the picks until the Bears were up.

“I just can’t really believe it, to be honest,” he said. “It’s crazy.”