Former Duck Thomas Graham Jr. is making an early impression with the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears took a late-round flier on former Oregon Ducks cornerback Thomas Graham Jr., grabbing him with the 228th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but they seem to be happy with their selection so far.
After having an incredibly solid career in Eugene and standing as one of the best cornerbacks in the Pac-12 conference, Graham is making a strong impression in the Windy City throughout minicamp thus far. So much so that his position coach recently remarked that the rookie has a real chance to earn the starting job in the slot cornerback position starting in his rookie season.
Chicago #Bears 6th-round rookie, Thomas Graham Jr. (@_TG4__) has an opportunity to secure the slot CB position heading into the season.
DB Coach Deshea Townsend: “He is a playmaker. He can see the ball in the air, he can find it, track it.” pic.twitter.com/hrwTr0ytUU
— Lake Shore Sports (@LakeShoreSport) June 7, 2021
Graham opted out of the 2020 season, which arguably hurt his draft stock a little bit, but the numbers he put up before that were pretty remarkable. In three years with the Ducks, he had a total of 8 interceptions and 32 pass break-ups.
Starting as a rookie would be no surprise for Graham, who was thrown into the mix early on at Oregon, as well, starting 12 of his first 13 games as a freshman.
As the summer rolls along and we get into training camp, keep an eye on what Graham can do with the Bears, and hope that they will trust him enough to throw him onto the field in Week 1.
