Coming into the draft remaining month, a strong case could very nicely be made that the Chicago Bears’ greatest roster need was on the defensive place — significantly a three-technique type out to help make coach Matt Eberflus’ safety go.
Common supervisor Ryan Poles handed on the consensus best defensive type out throughout the draft — Georgia’s Jalen Carter — and that switch will probably be evaluated for some time. However the Bears obtained a youthful participant with upside on the place throughout the second spherical, choosing Florida’s Gervon Dexter with the 53rd resolve.
David Turner, for the time being the defensive place coach at Mississippi State, coached that place for the Gators from 2019 by 2021. He was part of not solely recruiting Dexter, however as well as instructing him for Dexter’s first two seasons in Gainesville, Fla.
Turner spoke to the Tribune not too way back to produce notion into Dexter’s recreation and the way in which he initiatives throughout the NFL. Right here’s that interview, edited for readability.
Be aware: This is part of a set of conversations with the college place coaches of this yr’s Bears draft picks.
Contemplating Gervon carried out solely two seasons of highschool soccer, was he nonetheless pretty raw when he stepped foot on campus and obtained to you?
What would you assume? He was raw with a great deal of athletic ability. There are a great deal of points you presumably can coach, nonetheless you presumably can’t coach 6-foot-6, 280 kilos. From that standpoint, he had all of the devices. He was a pure and aggressive baby. The benefit of soccer, you don’t get 5 fouls (like Dexter did as a basketball participant). So he can robust them up barely bit and he doesn’t have to stress about fouling out.
Gervon was a large, athletic baby and in addition you seen a whole lot of potential. He wasn’t a whole lot fully totally different from Chris Jones. I had him at Mississippi State. Actually very associated. Chris didn’t play soccer until his junior yr (of highschool) and thought he was a basketball participant. So there have been a great deal of similarities. Gervon is a baby that wished to be coached. He’s an superior baby: “Sure, sir. No, sir.” I was excited to have a chance to work with him. The benefit of it, there weren’t a whole lot of unhealthy habits he wanted to interrupt. You merely wanted to teach him up. He wished to be good and it was a pure improvement.
So merely how associated is Gervon to Chris Jones?
They’re alike in terms of measurement, nonetheless they’re barely bit fully totally different guys, little bit fully totally different means models. However there are some similarities. Chris was possibly barely bit further fluid athlete than G. Each of them have pure vitality. Each of them wished to review, wished to be good. The best downside with G is he wished to be good correct now. He wanted to understand there’s a course of to this. Being new to it, he was learning each factor for the first time. It’s onerous should you’re gifted with measurement and vitality to grasp points are going to take time to be the place it’s essential be. That was crucial issue, having him understand the tactic, being affected particular person with enchancment. You’re not going to be good now, nonetheless finally you’re going to have a chance to be a extraordinarily, truly good participant.
He obtained on the sector an excellent amount as an actual freshman. Did he research pretty quickly?
He carried out some. I don’t know if any freshman ever performs as loads as they should, nonetheless the one strategy for him to get increased was to get available on the market and test the water, so to speak.
How did you see him develop and mature heading into his sophomore yr?
Nicely, his freshman season he was sort of feeling each factor out. I’ll give you an superior occasion. I went and watched him in spring observe in highschool and he was principally the D-line coach. He comes from a small school and the coach there does an superior job. Gervon is available on the market and he was making an attempt to help a number of of his teammates and he doesn’t know a whole lot.
The SEC won’t be an precise entry-level place, so he wanted to get on-the-job teaching. And the one strategy he was going to get good was to see and understand that everyone is giant and highly effective, so he’s obtained to know strategy goes to play a big half and that’s what he started to find out. The best think about his sophomore yr was strategy and pad stage. He nonetheless wasn’t the place I needed him to be, nonetheless he understood it having been examined and thrown throughout the fireside. Every thing his freshman yr was the first time going by it, so the second time was easier.
What kind of questions did NFL teams have for you about Gervon throughout the pre-draft course of?
What sort of kid is he. All of the important stuff. He’s an superior baby. Mother and Dad raised him correct. He merely wished to make his dad and mother proud. Studying was not a problem for him. That was truly the questions: the background, what was he like to show.
Any similarities between Fletcher Cox, one different participant you coached at Mississippi State, and Gervon?
Fletcher was decrease fully totally different. Fletcher was a person that every day was the similar. Whether or not his canine died, he broke up collectively together with his girlfriend, every day was the similar. Being fixed (in) how he confirmed as a lot as work. That is without doubt one of the greatest issue you presumably can say a number of baby — he’s fixed and every day is comparable. He had an expert mentality very early on.
Gervon was relatively loads like Fletcher and Chris. These guys acquired right here in with a plan that they wished to stay three years and have a chance to get out (and go to the NFL). Like I inform all of them: “Hey, man, when you’ve got a excessive sufficient draft grade, that’s nice. I would be the first to let you know there aren’t a complete lot of entry-level jobs which can be going to start out you at one million {dollars} or extra.” Gervon was the similar: “I wish to keep three years and get out.” That was his plan and the way in which wherein he went about it. He was focused and went about his work.
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