DETROIT — University of Iowa All-America punter Tory Taylor was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of Saturday’s NFL Draft. Taylor was the 122nd player picked overall, the first punter selected in this year’s draft, and is the second Hawkeye punter ever to be drafted (Reggie Roby, 1983).
Taylor was the 122nd player picked overall and was the first punter selected in this year’s draft and became the first Hawkeye punter to ever be drafted.
Taylor is the third Hawkeye to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Defensive back and return specialist Cooper DeJean was selected by Philadelphia in the second round, while tight end Erick All was chosen minutes earlier in the fourth round.
Taylor was the recipient of the 2024 Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate punter, and a consensus All-American. The Melbourne, Australia, native, also earned the Eddleman-Fields Big Ten Punter of the Year honors and was a first-team all-conference selection.
"Tory Taylor was an MVP guy for Iowa. He has unbelievable leg strength and drives the ball on a consistent basis. With field position being such a key component to winning close games, he can flip the field and change the game."
ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper
The native of Melbourne, Australia, broke an NCAA all-time punting yardage record, that was set in 1938, in the Citrus Bowl. He finished the season with 93 punts for a record 4,479 yards in 2023. He also had the best career punting average (46.3), single-season punting average (48.2) and most career games averaging 40 or more yards (43) in NCAA history.
Taylor, a four-year starter, had 40 punts of 50+ yards (seven punts of 60+) and 32 downed inside the 20, 11 inside the 10 and six inside the 5 last year. He finished his career with 295 punts for 13,657 yards — both Iowa career records.
Chicago won seven games last season, finishing fourth in the NFC North. The Bears most recently drafted an Iowa player in 2018 when they chose offensive lineman James Daniels in the second round.
Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978. Taylor is the 88th player coached by Kirk Ferentz at the University of Iowa to be selected in the NFL Draft.
To see the University of Iowa’s NFL Draft Central Page, visit Iowa’s Draft Central.
Tory Taylor (122nd OVR) is the second highest drafted Punter since 2012🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nTYWFDbFBS
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 27, 2024