Bears May Have Signed A Diamond In The Rough CB...........
Apr 29, 2018 12:46:54 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2018 12:46:54 GMT -6
Bears reportedly land diamond in the rough in Kevin Toliver
Kevin Toliver could end up being a steal for the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.
Matt Eurich - 16 hours ago
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(Photo: Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports)
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The moment the NFL Draft ends it is all about trying to find the best players available and inking them to deals. For the Chicago Bears it appears they found a nice diamond in the rough in former LSU cornerback Kevin Toliver. According to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Toliver is signing with the Bears as an undrafted free agent.
Part of the recruiting class of 2015 out of Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida, Toliver was listed as a five-star recruit with a 0.9950 composite score by 247Sports. He was listed as the ninth-best prospect in the country, second among all cornerbacks and fifth from the state of Florida. He received a whopping 46 offers from the likes of Auburn, Texas A&M, Alabama and others before he made visits to Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Florida State, LSU and UCLA. He eventually landed at LSU and enrolled early in January 2015.
As a true freshman, Toliver saw action in 12 games, recording 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and five pass deflections. The following year he saw action in seven games with five starts but missed the final four games of the season with a shoulder injury. He finished the season with 21 tackles and one pass deflection. This past season he played in 12 games with five starts. He finished the season with 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, 10 pass deflections and one forced fumble. Despite having a shaky junior season, Toliver opted to leave LSU early to enter this year's draft.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had him listed as a potential fourth- or fifth-round pick, writing:
"Toliver was a top-rated recruit who was largely disappointing relative to expectations at LSU. However, his play showed improvement this season and he has the size and physical ability that teams are typically willing to bet on. Toliver lacks premium ball skills but his size and physicality could be a good match for a zone-heavy unit or with a potential move to safety. Toliver's value lies more in his traits than his production and teams will have to weigh his future potential against his past history -- both on and off the field."
At 6'2" an 192 pounds he is a big cornerback who is not afraid to play physically at the line of scrimmage. The most disparaging thing regarding Toliver, and Zierlein alluded to it, is that there are questions about his football makeup and desire to be great. All the physical tools are there with him, yet he has been suspended in the past at LSU and also struggled with injuries in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Luckily for Chicago, the team does not have any major pressing needs at the cornerback position. The Bears re-signed starters Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara and brought back nickelback Bryce Callahan and reserve cornerback Sherrick McManis. Defensive backs coach Ed Donatell has done a great job throughout his career with developing cornerbacks and hopefully he can do the same with Toliver in Chicago.
Author: Matt Eurich @matteurich