Kieren Duncan’s intriguing speed earned him a tryout at the Bears’ rookie mini-camp this weekend. The wide receiver/kick returner from Colorado State-Pueblo parlayed that opportunity into a contract.
The 5-11, 170-pound Duncan, who ran a hand-timed 4.25 40-yard dash — and an electronic 4.32 40 — in pre-draft workouts, was one of three players signed to three-year contracts following the three-day rookie mini-camp, which concluded Sunday at Halas Hall.
The others were North Dakota State punter Ben LeCompte from Barrington — a two-time FCS All-American — and Connecticut defensive end Kenton Adeyemi.
Duncan caught 36 passes for 622 yards and six touchdowns for Colorado State-Pueblo last season. He also averaged 30.1 yards on 17 kickoff returns. He had 45 receptions for 712 yards as a junior, helping the ThunderWolves to the NCAA Division II championship.
Including his redshirt freshman year, LeCompte was a part of five consecutive NCAA Division I FCS national championship teams at North Dakota State — the regular punter on the last four.
The 6-4, 291-pound Adeyemi had 28 tackles, two sacks and 3 1/2 tackles-for-loss for Connecticut last season. He ran a 4.9 40 at his pro day and had a tryout at the Texans’ mini-camp last week.