LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Kiran Amegadjie lived and died with the Chicago Bears long before they drafted the Yale offensive tackle with the 75th overall pick in the third round on Friday.
The Hinsdale, Ill. native grew up watching the Bears in the late 2000s and frequently played the popular football video game series Madden, in particular trying to run back kicks with Hall of Fame returner Devin Hester.
"This is everything I've wanted since I was a little kid," Amegadjie said. "I can't even put into words. It's amazing."
Amegadjie was drafted to a Bears team ready for takeoff after selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick and wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. But the excitement around the franchise wasn't always this high, which is something Amegadjie knows all too well.
The 6-foot-5, 326-pound left tackle's tweets during Chicago's 2020 season -- where the team backed its way into the postseason with an 8-8 finish and lost 21-9 to the New Orleans Saints in the wildcard round -- reflect a collective angst long felt among Bears fans.
"How can no one call plays on this team," a tweet from Amegadjie read on Nov. 16, 2020.
"OUR LEADING RUSHER IS A LINEBACKER FOR 11 YARDS," said another, which refers to former linebacker Barkevious Mingo picking up a first down on a fake punt in an eventual loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 9.
Only three players from that 2020 team are currently on the Bears roster: tight end Cole Kmet, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and long snapper Patrick Scales. Chicago executed a massive rebuild over the last two seasons and boasts major potential headed into the 2024 season.
Amegadjie is "psyched" to be a part of a Bears team that loaded up on offense with its first three picks in the draft and looks to become playoff contenders after collecting 10 wins over the last two seasons. Chicago has not won in the postseason since 2010, when Amegadjie was eight years old.
The Yale standout said he manifested his draft moment for more than a year after meeting Bears coach Matt Eberflus last year at the golf club his father belongs to.
"[Eberflus] didn't know who I was and I told him one day I would be sitting in his office and the next year they would be looking at to draft me," Amegadjie said. "So he reminded [me] of that on the phone today. That's the biggest thing I've been dreaming about for so long and something that I wanted to happen and it happened. Honestly, I can't even believe it. I don't even know if this is real, if I'm dreaming."