Chicago Bears: Players who could surprise at rookie minicamp
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears rookies who could surprise at minicamp: OL Gage Cervenka
Lastly, a player rarely being talked about going into the weekend is former Clemson interior lineman Gage Cervenka. He went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and didn’t find a home quickly enough after draft weekend, so he ultimately did not play last season.
On one hand, this is a guy who has been out of the game for a year. It will be interesting to see what kind of shape he’s in. But, on the other hand, Cervenka is an experienced, poised player who comes from a highly-respected, winning program and he’s likely been chomping at the bit to get his chance in the NFL.
Last year, Cervenka very well could have been drafted. In fact, most would agree he should have. But, with the way last year went, it was a little tougher for him to navigate his way after going undrafted. Now, he gets his shot, and he’s not the type of guy to take that lightly.
Cervenka was looked at as one of the leaders of that Clemson team while he was there. He was a dominant force. Cervenka is one of the strongest players college football has ever seen. In fact, he even set the Clemson football record for most bench press reps of 225 pounds with a whopping 44 reps.
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Over his time at Clemson, Cervenka started 23 games and was a big reason why Trevor Lawrence was protected and Travis Etienne found running room. Looking at a team like the Tigers, it’s tough to argue with why a team wouldn’t want talent from that program. You better believe Cervenka is about to take full advantage of this opportunity. Look out for a strong showing from him over the weekend.