Toward the end of Friday afternoon, after a dizzying and mostly sleep-deprived two-day stretch in which his football career hit a springboard to the NFL, Kyle Fuller leaned back in a chair at Halas Hall and admitted the euphoria was starting to sink in.
From an exhilarating draft-night experience in New York City to a warm introduction at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. Formerly a Virginia Tech Hokie, now a Bear. In the middle of a wave of welcomes and interviews, Fuller exhaled.
“It’s soaking in now,” the cornerback said. “Just doing all of this. I’ve always dreamed of being in the NFL. I never really dreamed about all this going on. But I’m definitely enjoying it.”
On Thursday, the Bears made Fuller the 14th pick in the NFL draft and a big part of their future plans in the secondary. On Friday, he received his new jersey number, 23, a digit that has seen its share of legendary moments in this city’s sports lore.
“I know the history of that number,” Fuller said.
While Fuller admitted he was tired — Thursday night provided only three hours of shut-eye — he was excited to join his new team and eager to carve out a niche in the Bears’ defense.
Fuller said he made visits to 12 teams during the pre-draft process. But through it all, the Bears felt like the best fit.
“When I think of the Chicago Bears, I think of their physical defense,” he said. “And I feel like I fit it very well.”
General manager Phil Emery again raved about Fuller’s toughness and more so his versatility in coverage. Those were sentiments coach Marc Trestman shared as he seems certain Fuller’s athleticism and length will allow him to hang with a wide array of receivers and tight ends in the NFC North.
“You have a very smart young man with high football intelligence,” Trestman said. “He’s humble and hard-working. We all know, we’ve seen him play, that he’s physically tough. And he said it himself, he wants to bring that to the table.”
On Thursday, Emery referred to Fuller’s attention-catching effort against Georgia Tech last season, his willingness to crash into the backfield consistently to disrupt the Yellow Jackets’ intricate option offense.
Fuller smiled remembering that night.
“I enjoyed that game the best,” he said, “out of my whole college career. … We always say you have to put your big boy pads on.”
Fuller will do so now as a Bear, blessed with an ability and a willingness to move around.
“I like doing it all,” he said. “I like being able to play man but also being physical enough to be able to tackle. It was one of the areas where I felt I separate myself from others, just my all-around game.”
Twitter @danwiederer
