2016 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears select Jon Bullard

University of Florida defensive lineman Jon Bullard became the third Florida Gator drafted in the 2016 NFL Draft when the Chicago Bears selected him No. 72 overall in the third round.

Bullard thought long and hard about declaring in 2015 but decided to return to school to try and solidify his status as a first rounder. Bullard slipped through the first round but found a home in Chicago in round three.

Bullard came to Florida as one of the top defensive ends in the country out of Crest Senior High School in North Carolina. He appeared in every game during his freshman season, making two starts and tallied his first career sack against Missouri and seven tackles against Vanderbilt.

Bullard moved into a starting role at defensive end (eight starts) as a sophomore before being asked to make the transition and play inside. Reluctant at first, Bullard made the move and flourished as a 3-technique at Florida. He routinely bounced from tackle to end the next two seasons, showing a versatility that was appealing to many NFL teams.

As a senior Bullard totaled 66 tackles, while leading the team with 17.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks, numbers that made him a unanimous All-SEC defensive lineman. Bullard was also named semifinalist for the Chuck Bednairk Award as well as a CBSSports.com First Team All-American.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC