SEATTLE — It’s only fitting that Mr. Spotlight was invited to Las Vegas.
Kyler Gordon was walking at nine months old. He was attempting somersaults and cartwheels before his first birthday. He picked up kung fu at age four and dance a year later. At 8, he was named “Mr. Spotlight” at the Spotlight Dance Cup national finals in California.
At 9, he found football.
More than a decade later, Gordon — a fourth-year University of Washington defensive back — was selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 39 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft on Friday night.
He was one of 21 prospects who attended the draft in Las Vegas, and one of four — along with Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean — who had to wait an extra night to hear his name.
But considering the journey, an extra night was worth the wait.
“Before he was a year old, his grandma and grandpa were like, ‘Uh, there’s something special about this little boy. He’s going to be something,’” Kyler’s mother, Evamarie Gordon, told The Seattle Times in 2019.
“It’s really weird. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I had a vision as well. I just knew in my heart that there was something about him.”
The Bears know that now.
Husky fans already did.
In four seasons and 33 career games in Seattle, the 6-foot, 200-pound torpedo compiled 98 tackles with 14 passes defended, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Gordon emerged in his first full season as a starter in 2021 — earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors while producing 46 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 12 games. He ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and recorded a 39.5-inch vertical jump at UW’s pro day.
“I know he ran in the low 4.5s, but he plays so much faster than that and can really find and play the ball,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Gordon last week.
In a scouting report on NFL.com, analyst Lance Zierleign described the Mukilteo native and Archbishop Murphy product as a “cornerback who comes with an elite, high-performance engine but a GPS still in the process of loading. Gordon’s dynamic athletic qualities will show up in testing, but more importantly, they are all over his tape. His blend of play strength and explosive burst affects the passing game from press, off-man and zone coverages. He plays with an alpha demeanor and hitting is definitely part of his overall package.
“Gordon lacks polish and needs to play with better route recognition and anticipation, but if those elements click, his ball production could be near the top of the league as one of the top playmakers in the game.”
Kyler Gordon has always been athletic.
But in Chicago, can Mr. Spotlight steal the show?
