Who is the Chicago Bears temporary starting center, Doug Kramer?
The Chicago Bears have already sustained a significant injury. In yesterday’s practice, starting center Lucas Patrick left with a trainer. Patrick walked off the field on his own and rode back in a cart, only because of how far the field is away from Halas Hall. The speculation came to an end when it was reported and confirmed by Matt Eberflus that Patrick suffered a broken thumb and will require surgery. In steps rookie center, Doug Kramer. Who exactly is Doug Kramer?
Doug Kramer is a sixth-round rookie out of the University of Illinois. He is a homegrown kid out of Hinsdale, Illinois, where he attended Hinsdale Central high school. He followed his parents’ footsteps to the University of Illinois where he showcased his skills on the football field. Kramer was a redshirt freshman who started eight games for the Fighting Illini. He then started all 12 games in his sophomore year in 2018. His junior year (2019) was arguably his best season.
With Lucas Patrick hurt, the Chicago Bears are starting Doug Kramer at center
In Kramer’s junior year, he was an All-Big Ten honorable mention, he was voted team captain, Pro Football Focus (PFF) had him ranked as the eighth-best center in the country, and he did not allow a sack in 751 snaps. His senior season (2020) was highly disrupted due to COVID-19 protocols, but his second senior season (2021) went fairly well. He was voted All-Big Ten second team, was ranked 26th by PFF and received a large number of other accolades both for his academics and on-the-field play.
Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, Doug Kramer was viewed as a bit of a project. He has above-average football intelligence and awareness. He anchors and bends well. Doug Kramer has some nastiness to his game too. He can be violent with his power and his hands but is very inconsistent. Kramer specifically needs to work on keeping his pad level down as he can get beat at times by defenders who get underneath him and drive him backward. Overall, he brings some serious potential.
With the Lucas Patrick injury, Doug Kramer will see some very important reps over the next few weeks. Kramer needs to take advantage of this time. I do not see him proving himself enough to overtake Patrick, but depth is extremely important in the NFL and Kramer adds that. Should Lucas Patrick sustain an injury during the regular season, then Kramer can step in without any issues or cause a large downgrade in production. This is bad timing though as the new line tries to build up continuity. Luckily, the Chicago Bears brought in two new faces to help out.