Amidst the ascent of the Chicago Bears over the past calendar year, it’s been difficult to take stock of what they truly accomplished in 2018. Their first pass rusher to crack 12 sacks since 1993. Their first quarterback to have a season passer rating over 95 in the Super Bowl era. A head coach who became the first to ever to win 12 games and the division in his first season. It was truly a year of unexpected achievements. One person who didn’t get enough credit for this was left tackle Charles Leno Jr.
Here’s a man who faced the best the NFL had to offer and allowed just five sacks in 682 pass-blocking snaps. He has quickly become a sturdy, dependable anchor for one of the underrated offensive lines in the league. What makes it even more remarkable is where this all started. People forget that Leno was basically an afterthought coming out of Boise State in 2014. The final draft pick by a GM in Phil Emery who would be fired a few months later.
After not seeing action as a rookie, most likely felt he’d be gone soon enough. Instead, he stuck around, won the starting job in 2015 and never relinquished it. Teammate Kyle Long summed it up best to the Chicago Sun-Times.
‘‘He’s a seventh-rounder, came in my second year and lived in my spare guest room on a blow-up mattress,’’ Long said, nodding toward Leno nearby. ‘‘Didn’t know if he was gonna make the team. Now he’s Charles Leno, left tackle, Pro Bowler.’’
Charles Leno Jr. accomplished something unheard of
That last point is something fans need to focus on. Leno went to the Pro Bowl. Most people like to say the Pro Bowl doesn’t matter. Sure the game itself is a glorified scrimmage but the nod to make one still carries a lot of prestige. It’s a sign that the player has established himself as one of the best in pro football at his position. Leno did this despite having a massive piece of history going against him.
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Ready for some historical context? The NFL draft moved to a 7-round format in 1994. Since then a total of 71 offensive tackles were taken in that range. Several of them went on to become decent starters in the league. Only one of them though has managed to make the Pro Bowl. That was Leno last season. The first one to do it in 24 years since the current format became the standard.
This should only magnify the achievement. Offensive tackles drafted late are not supposed to have this level of success. In fact, there have been only four Pro Bowlers in total since ’94 who went in the 4th round or later out of 270 picks total. The other three were all 4th rounders. All other tackles drafted in that span who eventually went to a Pro Bowl only did so after shifting to guard.
Leno has truly been a unique and inspiring story.
