One in all basically probably the most impactful draft picks Ryan Poles made in his first yr as Chicago Bears widespread supervisor was choosing safety Jaquan Brisker inside 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 must stress Williamson onto the sector with veteran Eddie Jackson nonetheless in place. However the Bears must plan for the long term and create a depth chart, and Williamson’s traits make him a doable core specific 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 development and prospects for educated career. Right here’s that interview, edited for readability.
Notice: This is part of a sequence of conversations with the college 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 inside 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 cases he might need been a higher tackler. I be taught a lot of the evaluations the place presumably that was a bit bit knock on him, nevertheless he’s a very eager tackler and that’s one factor he’ll get greater at as he’ll get work in apply and additional work on a lot of the basics. He become an excellent soccer participant for us.
With a substantial amount of time at cornerback, will that make him a safety who is good in safety?
He undoubtedly can match up inside the secondary. His work at nook, his work at nickel, he’s confirmed that he has a lot of safety potential. He runs correctly. He’s obtained good velocity. We’d put thought of one in all 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 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 focus on to any scouts inside the pre-draft course of and what did they want to know?
I talked to some scouts. I don’t contemplate I talked to anyone from the Bears. It appears as if that’s the best way it really works out. Plenty of individuals requested about what I believed his biggest place inside the secondary could possibly be, and different individuals did ask about his tackling — that’s the explanation I referenced that earlier. I was surprised the tackling obtained right here up as rather a lot as a result of it did on account of merely contemplating once more, I don’t truly contemplate Kendall as a obligation by means of tackling. Prepared tackler, like I discussed, and I like his versatility. Personally, I really feel safety is maybe his biggest spot, nevertheless he’s obtained some flexibility there.
As a result of he started rather a lot, did he play rather a lot on specific teams?
We did use him on specific teams on account of he has an precise want to do that. Now, our specific teams coordinator didn’t go overboard there on account of he knew he was having fun with a lot of snaps on safety, nevertheless Kendall was very eager to play specific teams, carried out correctly and collectively together with his expertise set, that’s one different issue he must be succesful to hold to the desk, the pliability to play on almost every specific 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 specific teams.
He gained the Tommy Vardell Award at Stanford. Was his administration part of that alternative?
He has truly developed right into a frontrunner. Not an precise loud, vocal man. That’s not his character. However anyone who truly works laborious and locations inside the time. It’s excellent what variety of cases you possibly can uncover Kendall at night inside 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.
For those who had been requested to pick his biggest recreation, does one immediately come to ideas?
He carried out very nicely as he started out the season last fall. I do comprehend it was in the direction of Colgate, nevertheless he carried out very nicely in that recreation. He had an interception. There had been a lot of video video games early inside the season that he carried out correctly. Notre Dame recreation, he had a pressured fumble that led to the worthwhile ranking. 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 robust.
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Originally posted 2023-05-23 11:37:30.