A second-team All-ACC selection at Virginia Tech, King was selected by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. The Virginia native played seven NFL seasons, five in Carolina followed by two with the Cardinals, appearing in 108 games with 84 starts and catching 156 passes for 1,323 yards and 12 touchdowns.
King has been instrumental in helping the Bears sign 13 unrestricted free agents from other teams this offseason: Quarterback Trevor Siemian; receivers Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown; fullback Khari Blasingame; center Lucas Patrick; guard Dakota Dozier; tight end Ryan Griffin; defensive tackle Justin Jones; defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad; linebackers Nicholas Morrow and Matt Adams; cornerback Tavon Young and safety Dane Cruikshank.
King also helped the Bears sign two key free agents last August in linebacker Alec Ogletree and left tackle Jason Peters, both of whom emerged as valuable contributors and combined to make 31 of a possible 34 starts in 2021.
Koziol brings 14 years of NFL front-office experience to the Bears. The Chicago-area native returns home after spending the last nine years with the Chiefs as an area scout (2013-17), national scout (2018-20) and assistant director of college scouting (2021). Throughout his entire tenure in Kansas City, he worked with Poles, who served as a Chiefs scouting assistant (2009), college scouting coordinator (2010-15), director of college scouting (2016-18), assistant director of player personnel (2019-20) and executive director of player personnel (2021).
Before joining the Chiefs, Koziol entered the NFL with the Titans in 2008 as an intern, later serving as a pro scout for Tennessee from 2009-12. In that role, Koziol scouted future opponents and assessed talent in all professional leagues, including the NFL, CFL and AFL. He also helped coordinate free agent visits and tryouts and monitored NFL transactions.
Koziol graduated from Hinsdale Central High School before attending Boston College, where…