The final episode of ChicagoBears.com's four-part series "Meet the Rookies" features second-round draft pick James Daniels, an offensive lineman from Iowa.
The Bears targeted Daniels in the draft and were pleasantly surprised that the Ohio native was still on the board at No. 39.
"We had him as a first-round player," said Bears director of player personnel Josh Lucas. "You never know. Every team's going to have different flavors with interior linemen. It's just one of those things that you hope he's there. But based on our grades, based on where we saw the top 32 players in the draft, we definitely weren't anticipating him being there."
Daniels, who won't turn 21 until September, declared for the draft after his true junior season. After playing center the past two seasons at Iowa, he will begin his Bears career at guard.
"We knew right away that he was a player who could add value to the Chicago Bears," Lucas said. "If he does everything on his end as far as his preparation—taking care of his body, learning to be a pro—we expect him to be a high-level starter in the NFL at guard or center."
The "Meet the Rookies" series kicked off Monday featuring linebacker Roquan Smith and followed with segments on inside linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe Tuesday and receiver Anthony Miller Wednesday. The series, brought to you by PNC, tells the story of each player's journey to the NFL in their own words.
The episodes are being released on ChicagoBears.com, the free Chicago Bears Official App brought to you by Verizon and Bears social media channels, including Facebook Watch.
This marks the fourth year of the Bears "Meet the Rookies" series.
The series will culminate with a 30-minute special hosted by Bears radio play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak featuring all four episodes on WFLD FOX 32 at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
