High Five: The top NFL players from the area not on the Bears
This season’s Bears roster is filled with familiar faces from the area.
T.J. Edwards (Lakes High School), Cole Kmet (St. Viator), Scott Daly (Downers Grove South), Doug Kramer and Kiran Amegadjie (Hinsdale Central) all played their high school football locally.
But what about the rest of the NFL? Turns out the area is well-represented on rosters across the league.
This week’s High Five looks at five of the top NFL players from the area who are not on the Bears’ roster.
5. Jack Sanborn, LB, Lake Zurich
We begin with a starter last season for the Bears who is now on the Cowboys.
Sanborn came to the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin in 2022 and became a starter as a rookie when the team traded Roquan Smith to Baltimore. In three seasons, Sanborn notched 164 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.
In Dallas he’ll be reunited with former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who is now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
4. Jayden Reed, WR, Naperville Central
Drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft by the Packers, Reed made a seamless transition from his college days at Western Michigan and Michigan State.
Against the Bears his rookie season, Reed caught 4 passes for 112 yards and finished the season with 64 catches for 793 yards and 8 touchdowns. Reed played in all 17 games last season, snaring 55 catches for 857 yards and 6 scores.
Reed will be challenged this season after the Packers drafted receivers Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in the first three rounds. And he’s still recovering from a foot injury.
3. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Rolling Meadows
The wily veteran on the list, Garoppolo is now with the Rams and entering his 12th NFL season.
Garoppolo is a true success story after his surprising rise in becoming a second-round draft pick out of Eastern Illinois. A trade from New England to San Francisco kick-started his pro career, culminating in a 13-3 season and NFC championship in 2019.
A backup to Matthew Stafford with the Rams, Garoppolo has thrown for nearly 16,000 yards during his career.
2. Peter Skoronski, OL, Maine South
Skoronski is a player on the rise after he was drafted 11th overall by the Titans in the 2023 draft.
He played tackle as a unanimous All-American at Northwestern, but the Titans started him at left guard for 14 games as a rookie. He played every snap in 2024.
Pro Football Focus has Skoronski rated as the NFL’s 20th-best guard entering the 2025 season.
1. Alec Pierce, WR, Glenbard West
A breakout final season with the Cincinnati Bearcats helped Pierce get drafted by Indianapolis in the second round of the 2022 draft.
Pierce made an immediate impact with the Colts, catching 41 passes for 593 yards. He’s played in all but two games the last three seasons, starting all but eight of the 49 games he’s played.
Last season Pierce led the NFL with 22.3 yards per catch and caught a career-high 7 touchdowns.