Chicago Bears cornerback Duke Shelley will play with a chip on his shoulder. He is grateful to play on the elite defense and looks to prove his doubters wrong.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has a great history of finding good talent late in the draft. He found running back Tarik Cohen and safety Eddie Jackson in the fourth round of their respective drafts. Both are key players helping the team succeed in 2018. Pace might have another hit on his hands. He picked up cornerback Duke Shelley in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.
Shelley had a very good career at Kansas State. There he recorded 165 tackles (seven for loss), eight interceptions (two for touchdowns), 39 passes defended and a sack. Despite that, he wasn’t given much of a chance to make it to the NFL.
Like Jackson, Shelley suffered a leg injury that kept him out of most of his senior season. The difference, however, was that Jackson was considered a first-round talent before the injury while Shelley wasn’t. After Shelley’s injury, his chances all but disappeared. Many projected him to go undrafted.
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Here is what NFL.com draft expert Ian Zierlein said about Shelley:
"Undersized slot corner with the ball skills to pair with the instincts that could find him a spot on a roster. He’s tough and competitive and doesn’t like to let throws go unchallenged, but he lacks the size and length teams typically like as it pertains to an ability to make plays on the ball and handle run-support duties. Shelley’s high football character and competitive mindset give him a decent chance of making a roster, but he may need to prove himself as a viable backup return option."
Then Pace came calling.
After his disastrous senior season, not being invited to any of the college all-star games or the NFL Combine and getting doubted by the experts, Shelley found himself on the most dominant defense in the NFL.
Despite all that happened, Shelley is grateful. Perhaps if he didn’t suffer through all that he might not get a chance to prove himself on arguably the best defense in the league. Because of all he went through, the Bears will have a player who is highly motivated to succeed. He tweeted out his thoughts recently.
I got hurt. Missed the last 5 games of my senior year. No bowl game no Sr bowl game, no combine invite. Which led me to be playing for the best D & team in the NFL. Non of that would have been possible if I would have finished my Sr year. God works in mysterious ways
— Ocho 8⃣ (@DukeSaysGo) May 27, 2019
Something no one can deny is Shelley’s football character and his competitive nature. He works hard to improve and will fight to try to keep any pass going his way from being completed. Those traits will only ratchet up even more with the snub.
Shelley will get a shot at the nickel corner spot. He’ll go up against Buster Skrine. This should be a training camp battle to watch. Many expect Skrine to have the job handed to him because of the new three-year contract handed to him, but don’t count Shelley out. He could push Skrine and make him better, or he could push right past him and become the starter.
At any rate, Shelley is the future, with a longer outlook than Skrine. If he shows he can handle the rigors of the NFL, he’ll certainly take over. One thing for sure is we can never count Duke Shelley out.