Kyle Fuller’s Bright Future with the Chicago Bears

May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Kyle Fuller (Virginia Tech) holds up his jersey after being selected as the number fourteen overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Fuller went in the first round to the Chicago Bears with the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft and became the highest selected Hokie in the NFL Draft since cornerback DeAngelo Hall went 8th overall to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2004 NFL Draft. Kyle Fuller rose up the draft boards and went in the spot he deserved to go while also being the second cornerback off the board. Many people didn’t have him going any higher than the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick 15 but the Chicago Bears took him at 14th in a pick that was not a reach at all.

Kyle Fuller has agreed to his 4-year rookie deal with the Chicago Bears and the speed of this is no surprise with the NFL’s draft pick pay scale. Kyle Fuller will now not have to worry about ironing out contract details and can focus more on getting ready to make an impact in the 2014 NFL Season for the Chicago Bears. Fuller will definitely be used as a special team player early on in his career along with being used a lot on defense. However, Kyle Fuller could gain a lot more playing time very early on than anyone would have expected.

The Chicago Bears’ current two starting cornerbacks are the 30-year old Tim Jennings and the 33-year old Charles Tillman so both these players are in stages of decline in their career. Kyle Fuller will get the chance to be mentored by a very successful veteran in Charles Tillman who is still fairly productive and Tim Jennings who is still one of the top 10 to 12 cornerbacks in the NFL. Kyle Fuller has a great chance in Chicago to develop his game behind two very successful and experienced cornerbacks.

Kyle Fuller is a very good tackler and is an above-average run defender for a cornerback which will help him earn a lot of playing time early on with the Bears being in a division that includes running backs like former MVP Adrian Peterson, 2013 Offensive Rookie of the Year Eddie Lacy, and Reggie Bush. Kyle Fuller also has good speed and that combined with his tackling ability makes him a very solid run defender. Fuller’s speed will be especially valuable as a run defender early on his career and could earn him playing time on some man coverage plays on first downs.

Kyle Fuller seems very likely to be the nickel cornerback at the beginning of his Chicago career which will give him some time to adapt to the Chicago Bears’ defensive scheme. The Bears tend to run a decently high amount of zone and Fuller will have sme adjusting to do for those schemes but can also give the Bears a chance to shift more to man coverage. Chicago Bears’ Defensive Coordinator Mel Tucker has been a defensive backs coach in the past and will really be able to help Fuller develop.

Kyle Fuller might start out his career as a nickel cornerback but by 2016, Kyle Fuller seems likely to be the number 1 cornerback opposite of Tim Jennings or someone else. Kyle Fuller showed at Virginia Tech that he has the talent to be a very good number 1 cornerback in the NFL. Kyle Fuller will have some expectations as a first round pick but Fuller is ready to handle these expectations and surpass them. Fuller has all the makings of a player who has a long and successful NFL career ahead of him.

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