Ignoring red flags
Cornerback Shelley undersized, coming off injury, but Bears believe he can be notable contributor
The third in a series of conversations with the college position coach of each Bears draft pick.
Duke Shelley missed the final five games of his senior season at Kansas State with a torn ligament in his big toe and didn’t receive an invitation to the NFL combine in February.
But Bears general manager Ryan Pace said the 5-foot-9, 180-pound cornerback already had been on the Bears’ radar for a long time as he started 37 games over four seasons with the Wildcats.
Even though Shelley is undersized and coming off an injury, the Bears felt strongly enough about his skills that they used one of their five draft picks on him over the weekend, selecting him in the sixth round.
What kind of player are the Bears getting with Duke Shelley?
Duke is not a big guy. He’s got great speed, unusual quickness, and he’s really got natural cover talent. I just retired from Kansas State two years ago, and I’ve been doing this for 46 years in college and pro football, and he’s really a good cover guy. He’s got great burst out of the break, reads routes real well and makes up time on the flight of the ball, which is what a defensive back has to do because you’re not the intended receiver.
He’s been very competitive his entire career at Kansas State, and I’m proud of Duke. I think he’ll help Chicago if he gets that opportunity, and he’s got to make that opportunity.
Ryan Pace said he’s been on their radar for a long time and praised his stickiness in coverage. Is that natural to him or did he improve that over his time at Kansas State?
He came out of high school highly touted in Atlanta. I watched his high school tape, and he looked good on tape. We were concerned a little bit about his size because he’s not the biggest, but there are guys in the league playing that are just like him. The biggest thing is he’s got these magical feet and if he still makes those work for him, he’ll be successful.
How would you characterize Shelley’s tackling ability?
“He’s so scrappy,” Pace said. “If it’s completed, it’s earned. He’s very sticky in coverage. He’s highly, highly competitive. He’s just very athletic. When you look at his (pass breakups) and his interceptions, they’re coming in a very athletic manner. It’s not gimmes. Everything is earned.”
Shelley had eight interceptions, 39 passes defensed, two pick-sixes and 165 tackles, including seven for a loss, during his time at Kansas State. Now the Bears see him as a potential backup at nickel to starter Buster Skrine.
Longtime college and NFL coach Tom Hayes, who was the Saints defensive backs coach for two seasons while Pace was in New Orleans, coached Shelley in his first three seasons at Kansas State. The Tribune caught up with the nowretired Hayes to talk about Shelley’s potential in the NFL. Here are highlights from that Q&A.
He’s an above-average tackler. He’s not going to hurt anybody, but he gets them down and he goes at it as hard as anybody you’ll ever see. He’s smaller, so people make an assumption he can’t tackle. But he’s been a very good tackler at Kansas State.
He has played outside mostly, but they see him fitting in at the nickel position. How do you think his skills will transfer to that?
I think he’d be good there, just from my years in the league. Playing inside is a real challenge because the ball is in the middle of the field, so you don’t have that sideline helping you as the corners do. You’re in there with a guy who is probably their best receiver, and he’s got a two-way go on you. It’s a tough job to say the least, but I think he can do it.
How would you describe his competitiveness?
Way above average. He loves to play, that’s what I love about Duke. He loves the game, and he plays that way. He’s a good practice player. He’s a good technician. He works hard on his craft, and I really believe he’ll take any job that comes along for him, whether it’s inside or outside, and do a good job with it if he continues to work like he did at Kansas State.
He didn’t get a combine invite, and one of the Bears scouts mentioned he plays with a chip on his shoulder. Did you feel that at all?
The biggest thing he has always fought is people look at him as a small guy. I coached Darrell Green, who’s in the Hall of Fame, for six years with the Redskins, and he’s 5-8. There’s only one Darrell Green, I get that, but there are guys who are 5-8 in the National Football League, and they play well because they’re competitive and prepared and really gifted athletes. And I think that’s Duke’s case. That may be the reason for his chip — people talk about his size. But he’s plenty big enough.
Does he remind you of any other player?
It’s hard for me to pick one. The thing I know about Duke is he is so competitive and loves to play and loves to cover and knows he’s good at it. So I think he’s going to be fine.
Can you think of a moment or game of his that stood out to you?
He played awfully well in ’17, his junior year, my last year before I retired, against Oklahoma. They tried him several times, and he dove on some balls and tackled very well in that game on some good receivers. That’s one that sticks out, but he has had others. He’s definitely a playmaker.
They used him on some kick and punt returns this year. He didn’t do that when you were coaching, but is that within his capability?
He’s very good at that. He was good at that in high school. We just had D.J. Reed, who was drafted in the fifth round with the Niners and a great return guy. … I think so. The biggest thing you want your punt returners to do is catch the ball, and he’s got really good hands. But you’ve got to be comfortable back there with all the people coming down the field at you. The good thing is the rules are a little different in pro football, and they can’t sometimes get down there as fast as they can in college.
Beyond his competitiveness, what’s he like off the field?
Duke’s a really great kid. His dad is a minister back in his hometown in Georgia, and he’s been brought up right. He was up and down as a student at times. He’d have a good semester and then fall backward, so he kept me awake at night some times for those reasons. But he’s very few classes away from graduating. I think he’s going to be done at the end of this semester. I’m happy for him. All players need that. When you get that close, you can’t let it go. You’ve got to get it done and get over the fence.