Instagram LB LeDarius Mack of the Chicago Bears will be looking to make the team's roster.
LeDarius Mack is considered a long shot to make an NFL roster this upcoming season, but the younger brother of All-Pro Khalil has a chance, particularly if the Chicago Bears see something in him they can work with and mold moving forward. Mack was one of 11 undrafted free agents the Bears signed after the 2020 NFL Draft, and while he already has an idea what his role will be, he also hopes to increase it over time.
“Definitely gonna be a special teams guy. That’s gonna be my role. I’m just gonna embrace that,” the younger Mack said in May.
Bears linebackers coach Ted Monachino spoke with the media last week via Zoom, and he shared his thoughts about the younger Mack for the first time in a revealing Q&A.
“High, high football intelligence,” Monachino said about Mack. “That jumps out at me as something I learned right away. This is a guy that football makes great sense to, which is encouraging. The learning part, there shouldn’t be a lot of road blocks there. The thing I’m really excited to find is ‘What is LeDarius’ dominant trait?'”
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Bears LB Coach is Excited to Have a Double-Dose of Mack
Monachino had very encouraging things to say about LeDarius overall, but noting he hasn’t found Mack’s dominant trait yet could hurt the young player moving forward. Still, his versatility and drive will be definite assets. “This is a player that is a little bit of a renaissance football player in terms of he does a lot of things well. I’m trying to figure out exactly where he is going to have that dominant trait. Every guy has one. That’s what rosters in this league are made of, because they’re small.” Monachino said.
Monachino also noted he was looking forward to seeing Khalil and LeDarius interact in meetings and on the field.
“The second thing that I would say I’m excited about is to see the interaction with two brothers in the same meeting room,” Monachino said. “I haven’t had that in my history. So I’m looking forward to seeing that dynamic and that relationship and seeing how it affects and if it affects the rest of the guys in our room. I hope it does. I know they’re very close.”
Monachino Says Bears Will Help Develop Mack’s Strengths
Monachino did not get into specifics when discussing the team’s positional plans for Mack, but he did mention that whatever Mack seems best suited to do, the team would work hard developing that particular skill.
“You have to find what’s the one thing that that guy can be. Maybe it’s be the best left guard on the punt team … if that’s the case, then that’s what we’re gonna have to work on developing,” he said.
This is where the younger Mack’s versatility and ability to play multiple positions could help him. If he can become a force on special teams in any way, his likelihood of making the roster will definitely go up.
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