As the Chicago Bears scramble to find answers for the quarterback position, they can rest assured knowing their young offensive linesman is expected to be dominant for years to come. Cody Whitehair was recently named to the Top 25 Players In The NFL Under 25 list and he’s joined by some incredibly impressive company. Joined by names like Odell Beckham Jr., Le’Veon Bell, Tyrann Mathieu and more, Whitehair is seemingly entering a new level of stardom.
Pro Football Focus released the list today, and Whitehair checks in at #14. Drafted as a guard in the second-round, out of Kansas State, Whitehair ended up playing his entire rookie season as Chicago’s starting center. After starting all 16 games he graded out as the sixth best center in the NFL paving the way for fellow rookie Jordan Howard to finish second in the league in rushing. As impressive as his season was, Howard didn’t make this list.
Taken with the 56th overall pick, Whitehair watched nine other lineman get selected before the Bears called his name. Draft expert Mike Mayock liked the pick.
“He played left tackle at Kansas State, but he’s not long enough to live outside. If you look at what Chicago has on the offensive line, Whitehair is a good fit.
Whitehair is just one of Ryan Pace’s prized assets chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft. Joining teammates Jordan Howard and Leonard Floyd, Whitehair was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team as well. The Bears had three players represented on that list which tied the Chiefs for most in the league.
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The 3-13 season was ugly, and so was the 6-10 campaign in 2015, but the future of the Bears appears to be very bright. Whitehair is one of several young athletes on Chicago expected to be impact players in the NFL and he might be Pace’s best draft pick yet.
