While I wouldn’t call my self a huge college football fan (I do enjoy watching games), if I had to pick a particular team, it would be the Northwestern Wildcats. Corey Wootton was one of the program’s best players in the last ten seasons and arguably a high first-round draft choice before injuring his knee during his junior season. This allowed the Chicago Bears to draft him in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft. Wootton will remain somewhat famous for being the player that finally knocked Brett Favre out of the NFL back in 2010. This was Wootton’s only career NFL sack.
Despite not being able to stay healthy with the Bears, Wootton seems to stick around. The coaches love his athleticism and attitude. But perhaps this season they will finally see a little more out of the Wootton. The pressure is off Wootton at the moment with Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije and this year’s first round draft choice Shea McClellin ahead of him on the depth chart. I can easily see Wootton playing five to ten snaps a game. The coaches can use him in passing situations and allow him to get after the quarterback. Wootton did that at Northwestern registering 19.5 sacks and and 38 tackles for loss. These numbers would have been higher if Wootton wasn’t recovering from his junior year injury.
Despite my love for Wootton, I do believe this is a make-or-break year for the New Jersey native. Being a great guy and working hard sooner-or-later needs to translate into production. If Wootton doesn’t get it done this season, he will most-likely be playing for another team. At least Wootton has a degree from a top school and certainly will have options after his playing days. Let’s just hope that he proves me right and becomes a productive player this season.
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