Chicago Bears: Four underrated players to watch during camp
By Cody Young
Thomas Graham, Jr. will be looking to make an impact for the Chicago Bears
Player No. 1: Thomas Graham, Jr., CB
Thomas Graham, Jr. was drafted by the Bears with their third pick of the sixth round. Graham chose to opt out of his final season at Oregon but had a strong college career before that anyway. Graham appeared in 40 games over the course of three years, where he showed that he had the skills for the position.
In his first three years, Graham racked up 183 tackles, eight interceptions, and 32 pass breakups. Showing he has a nose for the ball. Despite being a sixth-round pick, I feel that Graham has a lot of talent to bring to this Bears’ secondary.
Where I think Graham has the best chance to get on the field is the slot cornerback role. CB1 and CB2 seemed to be all but locked up with second-year player Jaylon Johnson and veteran Desmond Trufant getting those roles. After that, I think it’s fair to say that it’s pretty open for the taking.
Looking at the cornerback room right now, I think a lot of the reps early on will go to Kindle Vildor and Artie Burns. Vildor was a 2020 fifth-round selection who is looking to show what he can do. Whereas Burns suffered a season-ending injury before his 2020 season ever got going. Thomas Graham will certainly have to fight his way onto the field but I think he has the chance to show what he’s about during camp.