K-State guard Cody Whitehair taken by Bears in NFL draft’s second round

Kansas State lineman Cody Whitehair was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday evening.

As the 56th overall pick, Whitehair became K-State’s second highest-drafted lineman. Tackle Todd Weiner was the 47th overall pick by Seattle in the 1998 draft. Whitehair, 6 feet 4 and 301 pounds, is the 14th-highest drafted Wildcat overall.

Though he played left tackle for K-State, Whitehair is projected as a guard in the NFL. He was the fourth guard taken in the draft. Stanford’s Joshua Garnett went with the 28th pick to San Francisco, while Germain Ifedi of Texas A&M went to Seattle with the 31st and final pick of the first round. The Texans took Notre Dame guard Nick Martin on Friday with the 50th pick.

Whitehair, from Abilene, was first-team All-Big 12 in the coaches’ selections and second team by the Associated Press. He started 51 of 52 career games, including the last 41.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 8:14 PM with the headline "K-State guard Cody Whitehair taken by Bears in NFL draft’s second round."