Chicago Bears: Possible replacements for Cody Parkey in 2019
By Ryan Heckman
Draft a kicker in 2019 NFL Draft
An unlikely scenario for the Bears, if they were to part with Parkey, would be to draft (or sign an undrafted free agent) and develop a rookie. The Bears don’t have all seven picks in the upcoming draft, due to some trades. This spring, though, there will be a few names to look out for who may hear their names called during draft weekend.
Cole Tracy, LSU
Probably the best kicker in this year’s draft, Cole Tracy out of LSU, would be a fantastic option for the Bears — should they decide to use a draft pick on a kicker.
Tracy finished the season going 29-for-33 on field goal attempts while hitting every single one of his 42 extra points.
Per Walter Football, Tracy could be selected between rounds four through six.
Austin Seibert, Oklahoma
Over his last two seasons at Oklahoma, Austin Seibert hit 34-of-40 field goal attempts while connecting on 168-of-169 extra points. Also courtesy of Walter Football, Seibert could go within the same range as Tracy. My guess is, it all depends on where Tracy gets picked. Once he goes, Seibert shouldn’t be far behind.
Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
One of my favorite kickers in this year’s draft is Rodrigo Blankenship. Not because of his awesome name, but because … well, yeah, his name is pretty awesome.
On a serious note, though, Blankenship has been money for the Bulldogs. His last two seasons, he has gone 39-of-46 on field goal attempts with a long of 55 yards.
Here’s a minor, but major in a way, detail on Blankenship: He has never missed an extra point. Out of all 154 opportunities in three seasons, he’s connected on every single one of them.
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Granted, the distance in college is closer now that the NFL has changed it up. But, that is flat-out impressive. It’s the easy kicks that should never be a question, and at times this season, we saw NFL kickers completely whiff in those scenarios.