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Undrafted rookie Toliver shining early in camp

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About 30 of Kevin Toliver II's relatives attended Saturday's practice in Bourbonnais, many of them wearing his last name and number on custom-made t-shirts.

The undrafted rookie cornerback from LSU gave his large contingent of family members something to cheer about when he intercepted a pass for the second straight day.

"I mean, it's just a start," Toliver said. "I just have to keep improving, just keep staying consistent. That's the thing you've got to do in the NFL, stay consistent as much as possible. So that's what I'm focused on right now."

The plays the lanky 6-2, 192-pounder has made in the Bears' first two training camp practices have caught the eye of coach Matt Nagy.

"Anytime anybody has a turnover, they always flash, right?" Nagy said. "They stand out on tape, and he's had that now. We stress takeaways on defense and having interceptions is important. He's done that now the last couple of days."

Nagy is interested in seeing how Toliver fares when the Bears begin to practice in pads for the first time Sunday morning.

"Kevin's a big kid," Nagy said. "He's a tall, rangy, lengthy corner that really almost looks like a safety. For him to be able to move around out here, it's about getting confidence. So anytime you're going to get some interceptions, you're going to build confidence. But now let's get the pads on and let's see how we do in the run game and let's test him out in some other areas, too, and he'll do fine."

Toliver acknowledged that his height is an advantage, but added that "a lot of people don't know how to use their size, so that's where I have to take it to the next level and learn from guys who have been doing it and have been in this program for a minute."

Toliver appeared in 31 games with 18 starts over three seasons at LSU, recording 84 tackles and two interceptions after arriving as a five-star recruit. Last season as a junior he played in 12 games with five starts, registering 28 tackles and one interception.

Toliver told reporters after Saturday's practice that he's trying to get two percent better every day. "There's more room for improvement, so I've just got to get better every day. That's what my focus is; be better tomorrow than I was today."

The Bears return to practice for the second day of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University

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