The offensive linebacker Dieter Eiselen has signed for the Chicago Bears after starting all of Yale’s games last season PHOTO: Yale Athletics Facebook Account.
Former Paul Roos Gymnasium and current Yale University student, Dieter Eiselen, signed his first National Football League (NFL) contract with the Chicago Bears, on 25 April.
“I’m extremely excited for the opportunity and ready to seize it by any means possible,” Eiselen told Yale News.
The offensive lineman has signed a three-year contract with the Bears, despite not being picked during the NFL Draft, which was hosted online this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
NFL BOUND❕
Bulldog offensive lineman and South Africa native @djeiselen72 signs with the @ChicagoBears.#ThisIsYale pic.twitter.com/khyMnl5Idu
— Yale Football (@yalefootball) April 25, 2020
The NFL Draft is an annual event in which all 32 NFL teams fight to sign the brightest american football prospects from across the United States.
“There are no guarantees in the cutthroat business that is the NFL and my goal is to not only have it be my job, but to have it become my career,” Eiselen told Yale News.
According to André van Staden, the rector of Paul Roos Gymnasium, Eiselen has become the first Paul Roos student to have signed for an NFL team.
“We’re very proud of his achievement and are excited to see him take the field for such a prestigious franchise,” said van Staden.
The battle for a starting place
It is still unlikely that Eiselen will feature for the Chicago Bears in the upcoming season. This was according to Ronald Clements, an NFL journalist for the last 22 years.
“His chances of playing for the Bears as a rookie is slim, and he almost certainly won’t be a starter on the offensive line,” said Clements.
The Chicago Bears currently have 88 players on their roster, which will have to be downsized to 53, according to the NFL rules.
“I will say, because he’s still fairly new to football, he’s a prime candidate for the practice squad, where he can spend a couple of years to develop as a player and eventually become an NFL starter,” Clements said.
According to Clements, Eiselen has tremendous upside and could become an NFL regular, but it will take time.
At the time of publication, Dieter Eiselen had not responded to MatieMedia.