Kindle Vildor Selected by Chicago Bears in NFL Draft
4/25/2020 3:23:00 PM | Football
Cornerback taken in fifth round Saturday
STATESBORO - Former Georgia Southern cornerback Kindle Vildor was was selected Saturday on the final day of the 2020 NFL Draft. Vildor, a native of College Park, Georgia, went in the fifth round to the Chicago Bears, who took him with the 163rd overall pick.
Vildor was a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection and was named an All-American in 2018 by Pro Football Focus. For his career, he had 95 tackles, 24 pass break ups and 10 interceptions. He participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl and also participated in the NFL Combine.
"In Kindle Vildor, a team is going to get a guy who's a technician, a guy who takes a lot of pride in his craft and what he does at the defensive back spot," said Georgia Southern head coach Chad Lunsford. "He is a worker; he is a guy that grinds every day. He loves ball and he's a guy that's going to give you that G.A.T.A. mentality each and every time he goes out there. THE Chicago Bears are getting a great Georgia Southern Man in Kindle Vildor."
Draft Notes:
• Vildor becomes the 14th Georgia Southern football player ever taken in the NFL Draft.
• He is the the seventh defensive back in program history to be selected, but just the third true cornerback (Lavelle Westbrooks, Kiwaukee Thomas).
• Prior to Saturday, the last player to be drafted out of Georgia Southern was linebacker Ukeme Eligwe (5th Round; Kansas City) in 2017.
• Vildor joins former Georgia Southern defensive back J.J. Wilcox (Atlanta Falcons) currently playing in the NFL.
• Vildor is the second GS player to be chosen by the Chicago Bears in the NFL Draft (Adrian Peterson, 2002).
• He is the third straight Eagle to be taken in the fifth round and fourth overall (Ukeme Eligwe, 2017; Antwione Williams, 2016; Kiwaukee Thomas, 2000).
• With the pick, six of the past seven Eagles drafted have been defensive players.
Georgia Southern in the NFL Draft
Year: Player (Pos., Round Pick, Overall, Team)
2020: Kindle Vildor (CB, 5, 18, 163, Chicago Bears)
2017: Ukeme Eligwe (LB, 5, 40, 183, Kansas City Chiefs)
2016: Antwione Williams (LB, 5, 32, 169, Detroit Lions)
2014: Jerick McKinnon (RB, 3, 32, 96, Minnesota Vikings)
2014: Lavelle Westbrooks (CB, 7, 37, 252, Cincinnati Bengals)
2013: J.J. Wilcox (S, 3, 18, 80, Dallas Cowboys)
2003: David Young (S, 6, 6, 179, Jacksonville Jaguars)
2002: Adrian Peterson (RB, 6, 27, 199, Chicago Bears)
2000: Kiwaukee Thomas (CB, 5, 30, 159, Jacksonville Jaguars)
1990: Ernest Thompson (RB, 11, 15, 291, Kansas City Chiefs)
1989: Terry Young (DB, 12, 22, 329, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1988: Tim Foley (PK, 10, 26, 275, San Francisco 49ers)
1987: Tracy Ham (RB, 9, 17, 240, Los Angeles Rams)
1987: Fred Stokes (DE, 12, 25, 332, Los Angeles Rams)
Vildor was a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection and was named an All-American in 2018 by Pro Football Focus. For his career, he had 95 tackles, 24 pass break ups and 10 interceptions. He participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl and also participated in the NFL Combine.
"In Kindle Vildor, a team is going to get a guy who's a technician, a guy who takes a lot of pride in his craft and what he does at the defensive back spot," said Georgia Southern head coach Chad Lunsford. "He is a worker; he is a guy that grinds every day. He loves ball and he's a guy that's going to give you that G.A.T.A. mentality each and every time he goes out there. THE Chicago Bears are getting a great Georgia Southern Man in Kindle Vildor."
Draft Notes:
• Vildor becomes the 14th Georgia Southern football player ever taken in the NFL Draft.
• He is the the seventh defensive back in program history to be selected, but just the third true cornerback (Lavelle Westbrooks, Kiwaukee Thomas).
• Prior to Saturday, the last player to be drafted out of Georgia Southern was linebacker Ukeme Eligwe (5th Round; Kansas City) in 2017.
• Vildor joins former Georgia Southern defensive back J.J. Wilcox (Atlanta Falcons) currently playing in the NFL.
• Vildor is the second GS player to be chosen by the Chicago Bears in the NFL Draft (Adrian Peterson, 2002).
• He is the third straight Eagle to be taken in the fifth round and fourth overall (Ukeme Eligwe, 2017; Antwione Williams, 2016; Kiwaukee Thomas, 2000).
• With the pick, six of the past seven Eagles drafted have been defensive players.
Georgia Southern in the NFL Draft
Year: Player (Pos., Round Pick, Overall, Team)
2020: Kindle Vildor (CB, 5, 18, 163, Chicago Bears)
2017: Ukeme Eligwe (LB, 5, 40, 183, Kansas City Chiefs)
2016: Antwione Williams (LB, 5, 32, 169, Detroit Lions)
2014: Jerick McKinnon (RB, 3, 32, 96, Minnesota Vikings)
2014: Lavelle Westbrooks (CB, 7, 37, 252, Cincinnati Bengals)
2013: J.J. Wilcox (S, 3, 18, 80, Dallas Cowboys)
2003: David Young (S, 6, 6, 179, Jacksonville Jaguars)
2002: Adrian Peterson (RB, 6, 27, 199, Chicago Bears)
2000: Kiwaukee Thomas (CB, 5, 30, 159, Jacksonville Jaguars)
1990: Ernest Thompson (RB, 11, 15, 291, Kansas City Chiefs)
1989: Terry Young (DB, 12, 22, 329, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1988: Tim Foley (PK, 10, 26, 275, San Francisco 49ers)
1987: Tracy Ham (RB, 9, 17, 240, Los Angeles Rams)
1987: Fred Stokes (DE, 12, 25, 332, Los Angeles Rams)
Players Mentioned
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