Everybody loves a long shot in sports. They make for inspirational stories. Right now the Chicago Bears have one in the form of John Franklin III. People need to remember the circumstances of this young man. He arrived at Auburn in 2016 in hopes of becoming a quarterback in their system. However, they decided to try converting him to a wide receiver instead. Growing impatient from a lack of opportunities, Franklin transferred to Florida Atlantic.
There he became somewhat of a gimmick player, taking handoffs and catching passes. He wound up touching the ball 23 times for 324 yards and three touchdowns. It allowed him to showcase his athleticism and blazing speed but wasn’t enough to prove he had a bright future as a pass catcher in the NFL. So when he failed to get drafted, Franklin III decided to take another gamble on his career.
He agreed when he signed with the Bears to shift positions yet again. This time to cornerback. The team felt his mixture of size (6’2) and speed could turn him into a quality cover man for their 3-4 defense with enough time and work. There were inevitable growing pains and he failed to make the 53-man roster in 2018. Chicago wasn’t giving up on him yet though.
He was placed on the practice squad for the year, giving him time to put in more work with the coaches. It seems by the latest evidence that the effort is paying off.
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John Franklin III looks much more polished in 2019
What immediately jumped out in the preseason opener against Carolina was how much more confident Franklin looked. He was smoother in his backpedal and decisive in his movements. His tackling was the highlight of the night as he made two strong tackles against ball receivers by himself to prevent first downs. He could’ve had an interception on one of them had he made a more aggressive move for the ball.
That might be asking a lot though. Learning to take calculated risks and jumping routes is one of the last and hardest things to learn. It’s merely an impressive sight to see him come this far in such a brief time. Remember at this point last year he had only been playing the cornerback position for a few months. For him to suddenly look like the best one on the field among the primary backups can be called considerable progress.
Right now it looks like Franklin III is the favorite to secure the 6th cornerback slot on the depth chart behind Kevin Toliver and Duke Shelley. That could change but if it stays true then this has become one of the biggest feel-good stories of the season.
