As Bears fans sit and wonder what could’ve been if their team drafted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2017, they can take solace in the fact that Chicago area natives will be playing in the biggest game of the year Sunday.
The Chiefs are set to play the San Francisco 49ers in the biggest game of the year Feb. 2, and Rogers Park native Laken Tomlinson will be on the 49ers’ offensive line — and protecting fellow Chicago area native Jimmy Garoppolo.
Before he became a lineman for the 49ers, Tomlinson was raised in Rogers Park. A native of Savanna La Mar, Jamaica, Tomlinson graduated from Lane Tech College Prep High School in 2011 and played at Duke University from 2011-15.
While at Duke, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound guard was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Second Team in 2013 and earned ACC Player of the Year honors in 2015. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft before he was traded to San Francisco in 2017.
Tomlinson, 27, started all 16 games this season, his second of a three-year extension he signed with after the 49ers in 2018.
Garoppolo was raised in northwest suburban Arlington Heights and attended Rolling Meadows High School. After a four-year career at Eastern Illinois University, Garoppoolo was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2014, where he spent two and a half years as Tom Brady’s backup. He was traded to the 49ers in October 2017.
Kickoff between the 49ers and Chiefs is scheduled for Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. CST on FOX. The Chiefs are a 1.5-point favorite, according to Westgate Superbook — a well-known sports book in Las Vegas.
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