Mel Kiper Jr. reveals why punter Tory Taylor was 'key' draft pick for Bears

We're in a day and age where a punter being drafted isn't all that uncommon. Big legs are coveted by NFL front offices, especially when a great punt can pin the opponent's superstar quarterback down near their own goal line.

That's why it wasn't surprising to see the Chicago Bears take Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Taylor has been the best punter in college football, and in an NFC North division that features Jordan Love, an explosive offense in Detroit and now J.J. McCarthy with the Vikings — being able to control field position was clearly important for Chicago.

So important that the Bears used one of their only five picks on a fourth-round punter?

It may have made more sense in the later rounds, but according to draft expert Mel Kiper Jr., the juice is worth the squeeze with Taylor.

“I think, when you look, the key picks are the fourth round, taking Tory Taylor — punter from Iowa,” Kiper recently said on ESPN (h/t On3). “We know he’s got a great leg. We know he was a critical entity for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He can flip field position. That’s a critical thing in the NFL. So I think, when you look at Tory Taylor, he’s going to determine a lot.”

Taylor won't, of course, be as important to Chicago as No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams or the player who could end up becoming his No. 1 receiving option, No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze. But longer fields for an opponent could technically mean shorter fields for Williams and a Chicago offense that is simply just desperate to finally get it right.

Taylor averaged 48.2 yards per punt as a senior for Iowa on 6.7 punts per game. The Bears won't want to use him as much as Iowa did — and if they do, something is wrong — but he's certainly proved to be a capable special teams weapon.