As it has since he was a little boy, every pick in the NFL draft this week will captivate Jordan Lynch.
The former Northern Illinois quarterback will be especially intrigued this year to see his hometown Bears’ picks, and he’s hoping he’s among them.
“I’m more anxious,” he said. “I’ve never been to a Bears game. For the Bears to call my name … and if I was on the team for my first game?”
Yeah, that would be special. But Lynch said he would feel honored if any NFL team selected him to play any position.
Of course, Lynch asserts he is an NFL-quality quarterback. But teams, including the Bears, have expressed interest in seeing what Lynch can do at other positions, notably running back and defensive back.
The Bears were the only NFL team he worked out for individually aside from the NFL scouting combine. They wanted to see him work at quarterback and running back.
“Whatever I can do to help a team out, I’m willing to do,” Lynch said in a phone interview Saturday. “Whatever I can do to get my foot in the door. I’ll run down the field on special teams.”
Lynch was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, finishing third. He threw for 6,209 yards and 51 touchdowns in his NIU career and also rushed for 4,343 yards and 48 touchdowns. He set two NCAA quarterback records rushing for more than 300 yards in two games.
“My agent has gotten a lot of good feedback,” Lynch said. “A lot of people really believe in me at quarterback.”
His NFL preparation has been “a grind,” the Mount Carmel High School grad said. He has worked out six or seven days every week, concentrating on his footwork with quarterback coach Donovan Dooley.
Lynch said he has made vast improvement.
“I never took a snap under center (in college),” he said. “We were just trying to polish that. My footwork was kind of jacked up. At first it was a struggle like with anything new but I just kept working at it. I never had developed any bad habits.”
Lynch is projected as a late-round selection. But he will be watching and listening for his name during the entire draft.
“It’ll be really kind of surreal to be listening for my name to be called,” he said.
Twitter @sryantribune
