One of the fundamental truths of football is good players can come from anywhere. Doesn't matter if it's the college factories of Alabama and LSU or smaller programs of Division III. Time and again it's been proven that talented athletes find success in the NFL (betamo.com) regardless of their background. All that's required is an opportunity. This goes for the quarterback position too. The Chicago Bears are well aware of this.
Already they've shown a willingness to explore any avenue to find help at QB. Over the past couple of months, they'd met with Division III standout Broc Rutter, fresh off winning a national championship for North Central College. Apparently he's not the only under-the-radar name they have their eye on. Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network revealed another.
"Ben DiNucci of James Madison is another signal caller who could surprise, this time in the late rounds. The Pittsburgh transfer was not graded by scouts entering the season despite his terrific junior campaign. DiNucci followed that up with a senior year that included 3,441 yards passing and 29 touchdowns as well as a completion percentage of 71 percent.
For some reason, DiNucci was snubbed from all the postseason All-Star events. He has had numerous video conferences with the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and Chicago Bears."
Chicago Bears are wise to look into DiNucci
DiNucci is a fascinating story. He was a backup to Pitt legend Nathan Peterman in 2016. A year later he'd hoped to become the starter but was constantly elevated and benched along with two others. Rather than continue with that, he made the bold decision to leave the program and walked on at James Madison University. It worked out. He won the starting job in camp and because to carve out his own legacy.
In 2018, he finished with 2,275 yards passing, 16 TD passes, 12 interceptions, 433 yards rushing, and nine rushing TDs. His dual-threat capability was apparent but he knew if he was going to grab the attention of NFL teams, he had to develop as a passer.
His 2019 season proved to be a turning point. He threw for 3,441 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He completed 70.1% of his passes. James Madison went 14-1 and reached the national championship game. Unfortunately, they fell short against powerhouse North Dakota State 28-20. Still, the run was validation that DiNucci was a player. His game against Weber State in the semifinals was a perfect example as he threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 62 more yards and another touchdown.
At 6'2 he has decent size for a quarterback and seems to display arm with solid strength and a tight spiral. His completion percentage wasn't built around constant short passes either. He went down the field quite a bit, often with success. It's not hard to see why the Bears are interested in him.
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