Chicago Bears bank on Mac Jones in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

Another position in which the Chicago Bears have a decision to make is at punter. Pat O’Donnell has been in Chicago for seven seasons but is a free agent. Do the Bears decide to spend some of their precious money to keep him? He finished the 2020 season ranked 16th in the NFL in punt average (45.7 yards per punt) but ranked third in punts inside the 20 (28).

If Chicago decides to part ways with O’Donnell, Max Duffy can be a good replacement. In 2019, the Australian native won the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best punter, and was a first-team All-American.

In his college career, Duffy was Kentucky’s all-time leading punter. He averaged 46 yards per punt. In 2020, he ranked fourth in the SEC and 12th nationally, averaging 45.1 yards per punt. Eleven of his punts went 50+ yards (one of them going 75 yards), and he pinned 16 of them inside the 20.

Duffy went to the Senior Bowl and continued to impress. He had a great week of practice and was voted by his teammates as the best specialist. That success went into the game, where he finished with 156 yards on four punts and drilling one inside the 10.

It would be great for the Bears to pick up a punter as good as Duffy and have him under economic control for four seasons. With their financial situation being what it is, if he is available to them they need to pick him up.