Chicago Bears sign hometown hero as an undrafted free agent

The Chicago Bears signed a hometown hero as an undrafted free agent on Monday, the franchise announced. 

Former Michigan State/Arizona State defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory is one of six undrafted free agents that Chicago signed on Monday, 

Mallory is a Chicago-area native who was a standout player at Bolingbrook High School before signing with Michigan State and eventually landing at Arizona State. 

The 6-foot-1/275 lb defensive lineman was rated as the No. 12 player in the state of Illinois during the 2018 recruiting cycle. 

At Bolingbrook, Mallory earned a reputation as a strong leader and a disruptive force on the defensive line. 

“By the time I got to high school, I (wound) up in that (leader) position without even knowing,” said Mallory last fall to GoPhnx.com. “It was just kind of funny going through high school (and) realizing that certain guys were looking up to me and I was still in school too.”

Mallory played on the varsity team at Bolingbrook for all four years of his high school journey. He helped lead the program to the Class 8A state playoffs in 2017 (no small feat). 

After growing up just 40 minutes away from Chicago, essentially in the shadow of Solider Field, it has to be cool for Mallory get his first chance in the NFL with the Bears. 

It's obviously going to be an uphill battle for Mallory to make the Bears' roster -- just getting signed after being a tryout player during rookie minicamps is a huge accomplishment. 

Now Mallory has to get ready for a summer that will be filled with plenty of competition as he works to make Chicago's 53-man roster.