NEWSLETTER
Everyone loves a good homecoming story, so you can’t blame Wisconsin tight end Troy Fumagalli for dreaming of his own:
.@BadgerFootball’s Troy Fumagalli says playing for his hometown @bears would be a perfect scenario. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/ByjVOrYmbJ
— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFLDraft) January 23, 2018
Fumagalli is from nearby Aurora and played his high school ball at Waubonsie Valley High School. From there, he took his talents to the University of Wisconsin, where he was the Big Ten’s Tight End of the Year and was a first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2017. He is ranked third at his position by WalterFootball.com and fifth at CBSSports.com.
Fumagalli checks in at 6-6, 248 pounds and will play on the Senior Bow’s North Team where he’ll be catching passes from Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen – two of the NFL Draft’s top quarterback prospects. It will be a nice opportunity for Fumagalli to stand out from the draft’s other tight end prospects.
Walter Football lists route-running, athleticism, quickness, and blocking ability as Fumagalli’s strengths. The site goes a step further, saying Fumagalli “looks like he has three-down starting ability for the NFL.”
Sounds like the kind of player a team that ranked dead last in passing offense in 2017 could use lining up every Sunday.
The Bears appear to be set at the position after signing Dion Sims to a multi-year deal in free agency and drafting Adam Shaheen in the second-round in 2017. Then again, the Bears didn’t have the look of a team in the market to draft a tight end early last spring because they had Sims and Zach Miller in the fold as starters. With that being thrown into the mix for consideration, I wouldn’t rule out the idea of drafting a tight end again in an attempt to solidify the position.
In the wake of Miller’s season-ending injury and noting the fact the Bears used four tight ends last season, the team could certainly use the draft to upgrade the position. Sims was a non-factor on offense and Shaheen is still in a developmental stage of his NFL career and didn’t much of an impact unless the offense was on one of its rare red zone trips. If adding weapons to the mix for quarterback Mitch Trubisky is a top priority for GM Ryan Pace in the offseason, he and the front office should examine every position – even if the need isn’t as clear as other positions.
