Kansas State Football: Duke Shelley can thrive with Bears

Kansas State football saw their second player get taken in the 2019 NFL Draft. This time it was cornerback Duke Shelley, who is joining the Chicago Bears.

Duke Shelley is heading to the Windy City! The Kansas State football defensive back is taking his talents to Chicago and while he was a sixth round pick, Shelley could most definitely have success with the Bears.

Shelley spent all four years of eligibility with the Wildcats and totaled 165 tackles, 31 defended passes, and eight interceptions. He might not be an immediate contributor in the Bears defense, but Shelley also was an impact player on special teams, returning kicks and punts for K-State.

NFL.com didn’t have Shelley getting drafted and actually noted that he should spend time in a developmental league, so the Bears obviously see strong potential. Shelley is a project for sure, but in the right system and with the right team, he could do great things in the NFL.

K-State fans love Duke Shelley. He’s a great player and works hard. Think of just about any draft cliche there is out there and Shelley fits the mold.

The Bears are a fun team.

They were bad for a number of years, but head coach Matt Nagy turned things around and made them a relevant franchise again. They won the NFC North in his first year at the helm and were it not for the infamous “doink doink” play, the Bears would have participated in the NFC Divisional Round.

It’s a bit strange that Shelley was taken before Alex Barnes, but Barnes should hear his name called here soon!

Shelley is headed to an intriguing team and it’ll be interesting to see how the Bears decide to use him. Best of luck to Duke Shelley as he reached his goal of making it to the NFL!