Jon Bostic became the third former Gator drafted this year when the Chicago Bears took him No. 50 overall in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Bostic was a three-year starter for the Gators at middle linebacker. He started 32 games at Florida while making 51 appearances. He was a powerful run-stopper in the middle, finishing his career with 237 tackles and 19 for a loss.
Bostic was more than just a player who could put up numbers on the field. He is a high-character guy and a player who was a leader both on and off the field. Bostic was a third team All-SEC linebacker as a junior and earned second team All-SEC honors as a senior.
The knock on Bostic heading into the draft was that he was only going to be a two down player, too slow to be a reliable option on passing downs. Bostic proved that theory wrong when he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash.
Bostic was able to remain productive on the field despite having to deal with three different coordinators in his four years in Gainesville.
“Playing in three defenses under three different coordinators was good for me,” Bostic said. “I learned so much and there’s things I can take to the next level. I played in the under defense, the 3-4, the over. Those are all things I can do. His speed and scheme versatility could have him project to all three-linebacker spots at the next level.”
Bostic will step into his new role with the Bears and should be able to compete on special teams right away. The Bears are looking for a guy to replace future Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher and they might have found that guy in Bostic.