WEBVTT - Breaking down the 2025 draft class | Bears, etc. Podcast 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:06.040 Cut open that DJ Moore zode touchdown touchdown Bears. 0:00:06.080 --> 0:00:10.920 I am Jeff jonihack Blitz is not done court. 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:13.760 What was like playing for Cody Gooddom. 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:16.439 I don't want to answer any questions like that pressure 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:17.640 coming is a big trouble. 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.599 Dottie gos Mottest Sweat Shit. 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.479 Bears, et cetera, brought to you by Miller Light with 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.400 the voices of the Bears, Jeff Joniac and Tom Thayer. 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:34.240 Well, we hit the tape and crossed the finish line, 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:37.080 covering the NFL Draft and the Bears adding weapons that 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:40.040 will impact the twenty twenty five Bears season in so 0:00:40.120 --> 0:00:41.760 many ways, certainly in the locker. 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.000 Room and on the field in all three phases. 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:47.320 Welcome into our draft recap on episode one of the 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:49.880 Bears et Cetera podcast with Super Bowl winning Bears guard 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:50.360 Tom Thayer. 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:53.080 I'm Jeff Jonahak. We're brought to you by Miller Light. 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:55.880 Thanks to our producer Katie Fox for all our help 0:00:55.960 --> 0:00:58.760 this weekend on tap for this episode, a breakdown of 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:01.160 the picks and how they impact roster in depth chart 0:01:01.400 --> 0:01:03.760 At advance of the mini camp and Ota portion of 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.920 the offseason program, Tom interesting selections indeed, I know I 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:07.840 mentioned depth chart. 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:10.319 That's one thing. There's no depth chart right now. 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:12.640 Well, Dennis Allen said the same thing when we got 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:15.480 to meet all the assistant coaches. There's a first team 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:17.679 that's going to go out there at practices, but there's 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:19.880 not necessarily a depth chart. So you're going to have 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:22.520 to earn your way onto that depth chart and then 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:25.280 impress the coaches enough that they get an opinion of 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:28.240 you so they know exactly where to place you before 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:30.880 the draft started. To me, I just like the fact 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.880 that all of these scouts, Ryan Poles and his staff, 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:36.200 they all have to have a crystal ball because it's 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:38.920 not necessarily what can you do for me right now, 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.080 but what can you develop into in the future. And 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:44.960 so when I look at some of the pieces they 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:49.200 brought aboard, I think there's something for everybody here, whether 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.880 you're an assistant coach like Antoine Randall l or Al Harris, 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:56.880 a defensive coordinator like Dennis Allen, or a head coach 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.560 and the organizer of the offense like Ben Johnson. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:02.320 We had the Middle Light Chicago Bears Draft party back 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:04.360 at Soldier Field on Thursday night. 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:04.720 Tommy. 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:08.360 We celebrated the tenth pick Colston Lovelin and enjoyed the 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:12.440 live draft coverage and analysis. There were on field activities, 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:15.320 There was the locker room tour, they had a close 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:16.840 out sale and more a Tommy. 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:17.720 It was a fun time. 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:21.040 It was all sponsored by Miller Lyte, and I think 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:23.000 they got a great taste of what the Bears are 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:23.720 building right here. 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:25.960 You know, one thing about that draft party, The biggest 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:28.280 thrill to me is when we get to reinterview a 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:31.240 guy like Devin Hester, because you and I through the 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:34.720 process of his growth and development as a young man 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:37.600 to an adult. You can see the change and the 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:41.800 confidence and why he was so successful throughout his career. 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:43.280 And I really. 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:46.720 Enjoyed interviewing these guys that come back. But then again 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:49.720 we get to interview Roma Doonza for the second year, 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:52.640 and you get to see what a mature guy that 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:55.120 he is and how he's going to benefit the position, 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:59.320 the locker room and everybody at his position and TJ. 0:02:59.480 --> 0:02:59.840 Edwards. 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:01.760 But the heck, here's a guy that just got a 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:06.000 new contract and extension. That's a Chicago Land guy that 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:08.520 belongs in that locker room and on that team. And 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:12.440 these lived by example so of all the friendly faces 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:14.720 that we get to see out in the crowd. It's 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.680 really neat to me when we get to reinterview guys 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.560 and you can see their growth as a person. 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:23.760 Yeah, I got to thank ESPN one thousand with Wataw 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:25.600 and Sylvie helping us out as well in the draft 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:27.720 party and a part of their coverage as well for 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:30.200 some eight hours. It was a labor of love, no 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.000 question about it. And great job Caitlin Zicko, Bobby Hack 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:36.320 for the presentation and help along the way. Paul's Orangler 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:39.360 engineer as well did an outstanding job. Lot goes into 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:41.280 that for sure for that one night. 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:42.520 All right, let's look at what. 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:45.440 Was addressed as the status and Hollis kicks in here 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.200 three offensive editions Tommy in the first three picks three 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:51.560 of the top fifty six selected in the twenty twenty 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:55.600 five draft, and Michigan tight end Coaston Lovelin was first 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:58.040 on that list at number ten. The way the draft fell, 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.680 the Bears had choices there, a couple tight ends. You 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.320 had other players at other positions that they could have 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:07.280 easily gone in that direction, but they clearly fell in 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:11.720 love with this player and introducing himself to us right 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:13.760 there on draft night and then getting to sit with 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:16.960 him one on one later at Halisa on Friday. I 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.200 can see why they like this guy. You they'll break 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:21.680 down the tape. You look at the player first and 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:25.320 the personality second. What do you see from this almost 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.320 six foot six, two hundred and fifty pounds tight end? 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:28.640 Yo? 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:31.120 Wwbd? What would Ben do? 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.560 I can't help but think the growth of the Detroit 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:38.200 Lions and what Ben did there with the personnel that 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:41.359 he had under his guidance and how he was able 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:44.760 to develop it. This is a young guy, He's big, 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.960 he still has potential ahead of him. What do you 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:50.719 want him on the inline line of scrimmage? Do you 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:53.640 want him lined up a little bit to the outside 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:56.359 to take advantage of a size mismatch? So when I 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:59.040 think about what Ben Johnson can do with this tight 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.800 end position and how it can compliment the overall performance 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.600 of the entire offense, I can't wait to see this 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:10.559 guy grow step by step throughout mini camps, OTAs, into 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.080 training camp, and throughout the regular season. 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.040 Oh Ryan Pauls is a great staff along with Ian Cunningham, 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.800 but also the senior director of Player Personnel, Jeff King. 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:22.040 Let's listen into his observations on the new tight end 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:23.400 for the Bears, Colston Lovelin. 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:25.839 You're adding a guy that's probably a culture changer. That's 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.880 how we felt about him. So tough, smart, dependable, consistent, 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:33.920 all the things that Coach preaches like this kid embodies. 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:38.080 The more that we spent time with Colston, the more 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.240 we just felt like he was the pick for us. 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:43.440 We're adding somebody to our offense that we have conviction on, 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.240 you know, a really good vision for obviously all of 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.520 us being aligned with the pick. You know, just something 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:53.680 that somebody that we're super excited to add. You know, 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.680 the versatility, what you can do with Colston and Cole, 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:00.200 you know how they mesh together, I think is going 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:02.360 to be something that you know, we can build upon 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:03.960 for the next few years. 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:05.440 Some of the things you could hear, the excitement and 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.760 his voice, Tommy, But the things that really stick out 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:11.159 for me, and you've touched on some of them, but 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:13.640 the separation at the top of the route, when you 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.719 go back and watch his highlights and how he gets open, 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:20.000 it's effortless. He's got the hip swibble, he's got the 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.120 ability to stick his foot in the ground and make 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:26.359 sharp cuts and that creates a lot of openings for 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:28.640 him and an easy target for the quarterback. But it's 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:32.599 also physicality at the catch point rugged after the catch, 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.520 and they really believe that his hips are able to 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:41.800 allow him to really develop as an inline blocker when necessary, 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:42.440 and that's not. 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:43.920 Always easy for taller people. 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:46.080 But at the tight end position, if you want to 0:06:46.160 --> 0:06:49.280 keep your defense on their heels, you gotta be able 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:51.520 to do both and put them on edge. 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.240 Well, there's a couple things about Loveland. 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.520 First of all, I'm you know, playing in the Big 0:06:56.560 --> 0:06:59.960 ten in an outdoor stadium a majority of the time, 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:03.800 either at home supporter of crowds or loud crowds on 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:06.120 the road. That's not something that you're going to have 0:07:06.200 --> 0:07:11.040 to develop with him throughout time. He understands crowd noise 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:13.600 and all that. And then you talk about his ability 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:15.560 to swivel his hips to get into the blocks, and 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:17.680 he's got the length in order to get his hands 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.640 inside properly, and he's got the feet and lower body 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.280 power to be a blocker at the point of attack, 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:26.680 to be a blocker on the backside, fullback, HVAC wherever 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:28.920 they want to line him up. He's got a vertical 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.400 jump and a catch radius that is almost going to 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.160 be unmatchable. There's not a lot of six y five 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.560 cover guys out there, and so when you put Lvelin 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.440 in a catchable position, whether it's on the line for 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.720 play action, whether it's to the outside on third down 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:48.240 and red zone. So he brings a lot of assets 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:51.120 as a receiver, and now you got to take that 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:54.960 time to develop him as the blocker he needs to 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:58.000 be in the NFL in order to be and create 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:00.000 more deception on the line of scrimmage. 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:01.800 Tom, I know you've done a lot of hard work 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:03.640 in your life, both in the weight room and just 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:08.200 being a thayer, but I'm certain you haven't put in 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:08.960 wire fencing. 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:09.680 I have not. 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:12.960 And you know, listen, when I was reading about him, 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.760 and you think about the work ethic that was instilled 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:18.520 in him on a farm to support his family and 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:21.840 help out when they needed those types of things. I'm 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:25.480 glad he referenced back to thanking them for that, because 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:27.480 there's a lot of people that would have that hard 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:29.880 upbringing and want to get out of the house as 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:33.240 quickly as possible. I think the reason that he was 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.440 considered and to develop that work ethic into where he 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:38.880 was picked. It's because of some of the things that 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:41.680 he had to do in his upbringing. 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:44.520 And now let's talk about the pairing. Because we talk 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:47.760 about twelve personnel. That's one back, two tight ends. That 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:50.640 means cole Comet, and I don't want people to think 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:54.600 that this means that cole Comet is being marginalized in 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:58.080 any way, shape or form. It's going to enhance cole Comet. 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:01.560 Cole Comet will enhance co and Loveland the pair, and 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:03.839 we've seen plenty of evidence in the history of the 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.880 NFL where two tight ends can be quite the dynamic 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:11.160 duo to really keep defenses stressed at all times. I 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:13.360 think this is going to help cole Comet. You tell 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:14.439 me in what ways it. 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:16.760 Will, all right, So, first of all, the first thing 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:19.920 a defensive coordinator does when they're playing against an opponent, 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:22.920 they look at the personnel that's coming onto the field. 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:25.760 So now you got Loveland on one side and Cole 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:28.600 on the other, and now they're calling about the defense 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:30.720 that they want to go against. So all of a sudden, 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:32.960 they break the huddle and now Loveland's lined up as 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:36.520 a wide receiver. There's scratching their head going, oh my god, 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:38.720 I got linebackers in the game, and now I got 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.760 to cover Colston with a linebacker that I know can't 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:44.720 cover them. So it's the like I talked about the 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:47.120 deception at the line of scrimmage. You can put them 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:48.960 in the game, but there's no guarantee where he's going 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.680 to line up or vice versa. You put Colston on 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:54.520 the line of scrimmage and you put Coal outside. So 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:58.520 they're really versatile athletes and so they can do a 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:01.440 lot too, kind of in courage the defense to put 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:03.760 the personnel to match up with a two tight end 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:06.720 set when one of them's not lining up as. 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:07.199 A tight end. 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:09.440 But all of a sudden, like I said, whether it's 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:13.000 the red zone, third down, first down, now you're trying 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.599 to think, hey, how can we devise a scheme to 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:17.360 line up against these two guys. 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.040 Potentially can we see a lot of big, safe, big 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:23.520 nickel put in the lineup, because just a traditional nickel, 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:26.480 there's not a lot of big nickels there. They're diminutive, 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:28.880 most of them. They're on the smaller side. That doesn't 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:31.640 mean they're not physical and can be nasty and and 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:34.120 and win the battle. But more often than not, like 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.120 you said, because this is a three level both of 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.720 these guys are three level players, and in the dirt 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.680 catch the pass, also reach up and get the pass 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:45.200 because of the wingspan, So that you're talking about a 0:10:45.240 --> 0:10:47.480 really difficult assignment to deal with. 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.480 All that and right, and let's not ignore DJ and 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:52.920 Rome and the rest of the receivers because Rome is 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.120 a big guy. He was sitting there on stage with 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:57.480 us on Thursday night, and you kind of realize when 0:10:57.520 --> 0:10:59.360 you stand there eye to eye with them what a 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:02.320 big receiver or he is. And Antoine's talked about that 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:05.080 as well. And we all know what a great catcher 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:07.640 and how tough of a guy DJ is. So when 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:11.560 you think about putting those types of receivers out there, man, 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.480 you can have a big nickel, you can have a 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:19.160 wide four receivers. Really, you can do anything you want 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:22.320 with the tight ends and the wide receivers, because I 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:26.280 believe they're all interchangeable. We've seen DJ out of the backfield. 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.200 We've seen Rome take jet sweeps. We've seen Cole Comet 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:32.760 take snaps behind the line of scrimmage and run a 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.600 little quarterback sneaks or whatever you want to call them. 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:39.280 So the versatility of the offense and how we've gotten 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:42.480 to know Ben from the other side of the microphone. Man, 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:44.800 it's going to be exciting to want go in there 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:45.840 and see his drawing board. 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:46.760 Yeah, no question. 0:11:46.880 --> 0:11:48.360 And I think the Bears will be able to run 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:52.120 the ball too in giving these situations because of light boxes, 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:54.839 it's going to create a lot of mismatches. Brought to 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:57.440 you by PNC Official Bank of the Bears, Our Bears, 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:02.000 et cetera podcast. The second second round was Luther Burden. 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:03.679 The third This is. 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:08.200 An intriguing individual, number one recruit in the nation in 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:11.120 twenty twenty two. He was highly regarded right from high 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.400 school in East Saint Louis. This is a dynamic athlete 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.720 six feet two ten two oh five and the yard 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:22.679 after the catch and the ability to work his magic 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:27.400 as a route runner, shedding people physically. He does remind 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.800 a lot of folks of Dj Moore, and he reminds 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:32.920 a lot of folks of him on Ross Saint Brown, 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:36.000 and I think that's probably where Ben Johnson envisions him. 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.440 Yeah, I agree, he kind of When I look at 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:41.240 what Ben, you know, did in Detroit with his offense 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:42.920 and what he's going to do in Chicago, and then 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:46.120 another piece in place he reminds me more inside that 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:49.080 type of an offensive Almon Ross, Saint Brown, and I 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:50.920 think that they talk about. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:52.360 A lot of quick twitch passes. 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:55.480 He has either lateral routes at the line of scrimmage, 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:59.360 quick hitter slants from beyond the line of scrimmage. And 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:02.160 then you think of about incorporating this guy into a 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:04.440 play action type of game where he's going to be 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:08.880 open immediately. And again Ben talking about run after catch, 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:11.800 and so I think if you can put it into 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:15.319 his hands on the move, maybe against the. 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:18.679 Third corner or a slot corner, or. 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:22.000 Someone that maybe is not as you know, doesn't have 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.360 the profile of Rome or DJ yet, so they're not 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.480 putting the number one guy on him. He's going to 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:29.920 be a guy that you may be able to take 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:33.880 advantage of early in the season because of the coverage 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.120 responsibilities that the opponents are going to put on him. 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:39.400 All right, let's listen in to the director of cottage scouting, 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:43.080 Breck Actley on Luther Burdens traits and skill set. 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:44.560 The excitement comes from alignment. 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:47.080 You know, you got a guy that scout Twinton saw 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:48.640 electric with the ball in his hands. 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:49.840 Everybody really liked them. 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.840 Coaching staff comes in in the spring, they get involved 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:54.560 in the evaluation process and they see it the same 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:56.480 way we do. So to me, the excitement comes when 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:58.720 everybody's aligned and sees the same vision for the player, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:01.160 and then you can certainly see translate to our offense 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:02.240 and getting targets. 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:04.560 You talk about the traits, I believe eighty five percent 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:06.679 of his snaps out of the slots. Yeah, that's right 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.120 in the wheelhouse. So the head coach and play caller 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:12.040 Ben Johnson, is it the yak? Is it the ability 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:15.280 to escape, the contact, balance, the force, miss tackles. 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:17.880 That's exactly what it is. We think he's the best 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:19.960 rack player in this class his ability. He can beat 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:22.560 you with speed, he can run through you physicality, and 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:24.720 he can also elude you. So he's got three ways 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:26.120 to win with the ball in his hand. He's a 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:27.840 dynamic player with the ball in his hand who can 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.640 separate from the slot, can also win outside. So all 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:32.320 of that combined makes them the total package. 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:35.280 What kind of impression did he leave across the board? 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.680 Passion Like, that's what I would say competitiveness, loves football 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.640 like That's what came across with them is you roll 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:43.680 the ball out and he loves to play football. 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.880 Toughness, I think is a part of his makeup. Is 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:51.200 that something that fits Ben Johnson's culture and identity right now? 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:52.480 Absolutely? Absolutely. 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:53.920 I think it's easy to see with him when you 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:56.160 turn the tape on the way he plays with the 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.480 ball in his hand, the physicality, you know, I think 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:00.440 it's easy to envision that in the UR offense. The 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.040 way coach talks about the things he's going to ask 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:03.840 our receivers to do. 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:05.160 I think he fits right in line with that. 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:07.920 And no block, no rock. So does he like to 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:08.200 do that? 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:10.800 Yeah, that's absolutely part of the deal. Coach has made 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:13.000 that very clear that I promise you he wouldn't be 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:14.440 on the board to be available to be picked if 0:15:14.440 --> 0:15:15.120 he wasn't doing that. 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:17.440 One of the first comps that came up is DJ 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:19.640 Moore and when you really as soon as that hit, 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.120 I'm watching the highlights. Oh yeah, you see a lot 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.560 of everything I just said. The contact balance, behind the 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.600 line of scrimmage, busting tackles, going deep is something there. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:30.520 With the chemistry you can build with this group of 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.160 now potent weapons that kind of fits all together. 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:34.360 I think that's exactly it. 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:36.120 I think the cool thing now is the way we're 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.840 structured and build is like the skill set of all 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:40.880 of them allows them to move around and be multiple, 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.000 which is what coach is looking for obviously, but his 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:45.800 skill set, the route running, the ability to play inside 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:47.560 and outside and then get them the ball in space, 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:50.040 like it's going to be hard to cover DJ obviously 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.120 rome skill set and you throw him in with now 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:54.120 the two tight ends like now you're rolling. 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:57.680 Ben talks about a basketball team on offense and this 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:01.560 individual Luther Burden or it could have been an NBA player, 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:04.680 couldn't everybody talked about he was a great basketball player. 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:08.840 This is almost a literal, a literal thing going on 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.280 you with this skill set of all these guys, right. 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:13.960 That's what yeah, And that's that's an intentional thing. Like 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:15.720 we talk about that. One of our jobs is not 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:17.760 only you scout the player, but then you also have 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.280 to where does he fit in our roster and how 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.280 does he produce for us? And with him it was easy, 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:24.600 you know, you do see the basketball type short area movements. 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:26.800 That's what allows him to separate. That's also what allows 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:28.360 him to make people miss with the ball in his hand. 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:29.800 So it shows up all right. 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:32.320 How would you describe off the field in the sense 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:33.880 of getting to know him, what you learned about him 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:35.320 with the fans want to know what the person's are. 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:35.600 Yes. 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:37.680 So he's a low key guy. He's from that area 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:39.800 of Saint Louis. He's close with his family. He goes 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.840 to school down the road at Columbia. You know, has 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:44.920 a girlfriend that's strong in his life. But he's a 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:46.760 low key guy. He's just kind of a low key 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.240 good dude that likes to play football. That's the main 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:50.160 thing I'd say about him. 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:52.440 A lot of high praise there for Luther had a 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.440 chance to meet him and visit with him. Man, he 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.560 is he's all about football time. He is so dialed 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:01.560 in and serious about where this is edit for his career, 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.399 loves being a bear and I just think he's taking 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:06.879 it all in and and this guy is he's a 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:08.240 very serious person. 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:10.000 With the leadership he's. 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:12.160 Going to have there in the locker room in that 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.720 group with a guy like DJ Moore and Roma Dunzay 0:17:15.760 --> 0:17:17.439 could show him the way a little bit after his 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:20.040 rookie year and his experiences, I think it's a nice, 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:20.960 a nice blend. 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:24.479 Well, every interview I hear with him after the draft, 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:27.520 his attitude kind of sounds like mine because I was 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.320 so disappointed to be drafted in the fourth round. I 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:34.920 always held that inside and motivated me. I think Luther 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.199 wanted to and thought he would be drafted higher. But 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:39.640 I think he's going to make a lot of good 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:42.400 people pay for that. And so when you come in 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:46.600 with that kind of you know, feeling and confidence about 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:48.920 yourself and the way you want to go out there 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:52.240 and perform and put you put your talents on display. 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:55.120 Know one other guy's passed you up, I think it's 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.960 really important. So I like listening to the interviews by 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:04.200 Luther because he's a little contankerous about not getting picked 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:05.080