Certainly one of basically probably the most impactful draft picks Ryan Poles made in his first yr as Chicago Bears frequent supervisor was deciding on safety Jaquan Brisker throughout the second spherical of the 2022 draft.
Poles waited until the seventh spherical to choose a safety this yr, drafting Stanford’s Kendall Williamson with the 258th select, citing his velocity and range.
Whereas the Bears plugged in Brisker immediately, they shouldn’t need to stress Williamson onto the sector with veteran Eddie Jackson nonetheless in place. However the Bears need to plan for the long term and create a depth chart, and Williamson’s traits make him a attainable core explicit teams performer for coordinator Richard Hightower.
Over the ultimate 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 all through Williamson’s 5 years on the school, spoke to the Tribune in regards to the safety’s progress and prospects for educated career. Right here’s that interview, edited for readability.
Observe: This is part of a sequence of conversations with the varsity place coaches of this yr’s Bears draft picks.
Out of your perspective as a result of the coordinator, how did you see Kendall develop in his 5 seasons?
Sturdy and actually versatile participant. He carried out almost every place throughout the secondary. Got here in as a nook and we started him there. Then he moved over to nickel and carried out a lot there. We moved him to safety. Actually versatile man. He’s obtained an vital expertise set too. He’s very athletic. He runs correctly. Good safety potential. He’s a eager tackler. He doesn’t shrink again from contact.
I do know at situations he may need been a higher tackler. I be taught quite a lot of the evaluations the place probably that was slightly bit knock on him, nevertheless he’s a very eager tackler and that’s one factor he’ll get larger at as he’ll get work in apply and additional work on quite a lot of the basics. He became an excellent soccer participant for us.
With quite a lot of time at cornerback, will that make him a safety who is nice in safety?
He undoubtedly can match up throughout the secondary. His work at nook, his work at nickel, he’s confirmed that he has quite a lot of safety potential. He runs correctly. He’s obtained good velocity. We’d put thought of one in every of our safeties in the midst of the sector and we’d rotate a person all the best way all the way down to cowl as correctly, play quite a lot of man safety, and Kendall did job with that. If safety ends up being the place he performs, he’s undoubtedly a person who has some safety potential moreover.
Did you talk about to any scouts throughout the pre-draft course of and what did they want to know?
I talked to some scouts. I don’t think about I talked to anyone from the Bears. It appears as if that’s the best way it really works out. Numerous individuals requested about what I believed his best place throughout the secondary could possibly be, and different individuals did ask about his tackling — that’s the explanation I referenced that earlier. I was shocked the tackling bought right here up as loads as a result of it did because of merely contemplating once more, I don’t truly think about Kendall as a obligation by the use of tackling. Keen tackler, like I discussed, and I like his versatility. Personally, I really feel safety is maybe his best spot, nevertheless he’s obtained some flexibility there.
As a result of he started loads, did he play loads on explicit teams?
We did use him on explicit teams because of he has an precise want to do this. Now, our explicit teams coordinator didn’t go overboard there because of he knew he was having fun with quite a lot of snaps on safety, nevertheless Kendall was very eager to play explicit teams, carried out correctly and collectively along with his expertise set, that’s one different issue he should be succesful to hold to the desk, the flexibleness to play on almost every explicit crew.
A later-round draft select, that’s what he has obtained to have the power to do. Whether or not it’s entrance line on kickoff return, kickoff cowl, punt return, he carried out some gunner for us. He can perhaps play some wing. I really feel he usually is a precise help on explicit teams.
He gained the Tommy Vardell Award at Stanford. Was his administration part of that selection?
He has truly developed right into a frontrunner. Not an precise loud, vocal man. That’s not his character. However any individual who truly works laborious and locations throughout the time. It’s excellent what variety of situations you possibly can uncover Kendall at night throughout the meeting rooms or can be found in in the midst of the summer season and he’s in there watching film or he’s obtained youthful guys in there and he’s obtained them up on the board going through and instructing them the safety. It was spectacular.
Should you had been requested to pick his best recreation, does one immediately come to ideas?
He carried out very nicely as he started out the season last fall. I do realize it was in the direction of Colgate, nevertheless he carried out very nicely in that recreation. He had an interception. There had been quite a lot of video video games early throughout the season that he carried out correctly. Notre Dame recreation, he had a pressured fumble that led to the worthwhile score. One other good recreation. After that, he obtained dinged up and had restricted apply time, nevertheless you possibly can select any early recreation and he carried out correctly for us. Actual sturdy.
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