One of essentially the most impactful draft picks Ryan Poles made in his first yr as Chicago Bears common supervisor was selecting security Jaquan Brisker within the second spherical of the 2022 draft.
Poles waited till the seventh spherical to pick a security this yr, drafting Stanford’s Kendall Williamson with the 258th choose, citing his velocity and vary.
While the Bears plugged in Brisker instantly, they shouldn’t have to pressure Williamson onto the sector with veteran Eddie Jackson nonetheless in place. But the Bears have to plan for the longer term and create a depth chart, and Williamson’s traits make him a possible core particular groups performer for coordinator Richard Hightower.
Over the final two seasons, Williamson totaled 117 tackles, six tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception, 9 passes defended and two pressured fumbles.
Lars Anderson, Stanford’s defensive coordinator throughout Williamson’s 5 years on the faculty, spoke to the Tribune concerning the security’s growth and prospects for knowledgeable profession. Here’s that interview, edited for readability.
Note: This is a part of a sequence of conversations with the school place coaches of this yr’s Bears draft picks.
From your perspective because the coordinator, how did you see Kendall develop in his 5 seasons?
Durable and really versatile participant. He performed nearly each place within the secondary. Came in as a nook and we began him there. Then he moved over to nickel and performed so much there. We moved him to security. Really versatile man. He’s obtained an important talent set too. He’s very athletic. He runs properly. Good protection potential. He’s a keen tackler. He doesn’t shrink back from contact.
I do know at instances he might have been a greater tackler. I learn a number of the evaluations the place possibly that was a little bit knock on him, however he’s a really keen tackler and that’s one thing he’ll get higher at as he will get work in apply and extra work on a number of the fundamentals. He changed into a very good soccer participant for us.
With a great deal of time at cornerback, will that make him a security who is sweet in protection?
He undoubtedly can match up within the secondary. His work at nook, his work at nickel, he’s proven that he has a number of protection potential. He runs properly. He’s obtained good velocity. We would put considered one of our safeties in the course of the sector and we might rotate a man all the way down to cowl as properly, play a number of man protection, and Kendall did job with that. If security finally ends up being the place he performs, he’s undoubtedly a man who has some protection potential additionally.
Did you discuss to any scouts within the pre-draft course of and what did they wish to know?
I talked to some scouts. I don’t consider I talked to anybody from the Bears. It looks as if that’s the way it works out. Lots of people requested about what I believed his greatest place within the secondary could be, and other people did ask about his tackling — that’s the reason I referenced that earlier. I used to be stunned the tackling got here up as a lot because it did as a result of simply considering again, I don’t actually consider Kendall as a legal responsibility by way of tackling. Willing tackler, like I mentioned, and I like his versatility. Personally, I feel security is perhaps his greatest spot, however he’s obtained some flexibility there.
Because he began a lot, did he play a lot on particular groups?
We did use him on particular groups as a result of he has an actual need to try this. Now, our particular groups coordinator didn’t go overboard there as a result of he knew he was enjoying a number of snaps on protection, however Kendall was very keen to play particular groups, performed properly and together with his talent set, that’s one other factor he ought to be capable to carry to the desk, the flexibility to play on nearly each particular crew.
A later-round draft choose, that’s what he has obtained to have the ability to do. Whether it’s entrance line on kickoff return, kickoff cowl, punt return, he performed some gunner for us. He can in all probability play some wing. I feel he generally is a actual assistance on particular groups.
He gained the Tommy Vardell Award at Stanford. Was his management a part of that choice?
He has actually developed into a frontrunner. Not an actual loud, vocal man. That’s not his character. But somebody who actually works laborious and places within the time. It’s superb what number of instances you can discover Kendall at evening within the assembly rooms or are available in in the course of the summer time and he’s in there watching movie or he’s obtained younger guys in there and he’s obtained them up on the board going via and instructing them the protection. It was spectacular.
If you had been requested to select his greatest recreation, does one instantly come to thoughts?
He performed very well as he began out the season final fall. I do know it was towards Colgate, however he performed very well in that recreation. He had an interception. There had been a number of video games early within the season that he performed properly. Notre Dame recreation, he had a pressured fumble that led to the profitable rating. Another good recreation. After that, he obtained dinged up and had restricted apply time, however you can choose any early recreation and he performed properly for us. Real strong.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com