Jordan Lynch was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a quarterback at Northern Illinois, but it’s at running back where he’s trying to catch on as an undrafted rookie with the Bears. He says he’s just fine with that.
“That’s one thing I did do at Northern; carried the ball a lot so I kind of did some running back drills back in the college days,” Lynch said after the first practice of the Bears’ rookie minicamp. “I studied the playbook all last night and I felt very comfortable out there.”
Based on one practice, Lynch doesn’t see any reason he’ll struggle with a new position.
“It wasn’t tough at all,” Lynch said. “I’m a football player. I love football and I’ll do whatever it takes to stay in the NFL. I guess the toughest thing is some footwork drills playing running back and just trying to pick up on little things with special teams and running back.”
Bears coach Marc Trestman liked what he saw.
“Jordan’s a real football player; there’s no doubt about it,” Trestman said. “He certainly didn’t look out of place by any means today running around out there. It’s just the first day, but he didn’t seem awkward in any way running and catching the football in space.”
Lynch, like all undrafted rookies, still faces an uphill battle to make the team. But he understands the job he has ahead of him.