“Upside for Bears fourth-round pick Joel Iyiegbuniwe? ‘His best football is in front of him’
By Colleen Kane
Joel Iyiegbuniwe was surprised to hear the Bears picked him in the fourth round of the NFL draft on April 28 because he hadn’t had much contact with the organization in the weeks leading up to the event.
He wasn’t the only one.
The Bears entered the draft in need of edge rushers on defense, but they took players they plan to use at inside linebacker with two of their first four picks — Iyiegbuniwe and Roquan Smith at No. 8 in the first round. General manager Ryan Pace said the Bears’ scouts and coaches connected on their grades and vision for the player nicknamed “Iggy,” and Pace was excited about what he has seen on film.
“Physical, fast, athletic, highly intelligent player,” Pace said. “When you turn on the tape, it just jumps out, the way he plays, just a real physical, downhill style.”
The 6-foot-1, 229-pound Iyiegbuniwe had 117 tackles, including 11½ for loss, and was named first-team All-Conference USA as a junior.
The Tribune recently spoke with Western Kentucky linebackers coach Maurice Crum Jr., a former Notre Dame linebacker, about what the Bears can expect from Iyiegbuniwe. Here are highlights from the interview.
How would you describe Joel as a player?
The first trait that comes to mind is hard-working. He just worked hard to do everything the right way and is just a phenomenal human being.
What are his strengths on the field?
His ability to process information. He does a phenomenal job. You can just tell him something one time, and he’s able to retain the information in addition to applying techniques you taught him. It goes back to working hard at everything you ask him to do. He works to get it done, and he gets it done.
You coached him just this last season at Western Kentucky, but in what ways did you see him grow in that time?
I saw tremendous growth. He had never played inside linebacker before. So from the first spring practice all the way to the last game of the season, he’s a completely different player. We saw him get better every game, every rep, every practice. He has grown tremendously. That’s what I was telling all the guys when they were asking about him. I think his best football is in front of him.
The Bears have said they want to keep him at inside linebacker. Why is that a good fit for him?
Because of his ability to run it’s going to be hard for a lot of people to beat him to the sideline, but he’s big enough and strong enough to where he can go up in there and take on guards and tackles and be physical on the inside. You want him close so he can stay around the football.
When Ryan Pace was talking about Joel, he said he saw so many big plays on film that he wanted to call in Matt Nagy to watch. Do you recall any moments like that?
The one that stands out in my mind is our FAU game. He made a tackle in the hole, and they had a pretty big running back, so it was two big guys — force meeting force — and when they made contact in the hole, the paint chips speckled in the air, they flew out from the helmet. I watch the game from upstairs. I saw the paint chips fly off the helmets from the contact, I was like, ‘Whoa.’ That was the first time I had ever seen that.
What challenges do you see ahead for him in his transition to the NFL?
It’s just going to be continued growth. Again, he has only played inside linebacker for one year, so I think he has to continue to grow and see teams. That’s what he has in front of him. He’ll work his tail off to get it, and I know he’ll get it.
How do you think he’ll be able to contribute on special teams as he gets his feet wet in the NFL?
Personally, I think he’s going to make an instant impact on special teams. He was on our punt team for basically all four years. He was assignment-sound, and his ability to run, tackle and play in space will show up a great deal in special teams. We used him on kickoff. He didn’t have a ton of reps, but when he was in there he either had the production or he helped someone else with the production on a tackle or a play. He’ll make an immediate impact there just with his size and ability to run.
How would you describe his personality?
The best way to explain it is if I had a daughter, that’s who I’d want her to marry. He’s that perfect guy. He’s polite, bright, just an awesome person. He’s fun to be around, good personality, smart, good background. He checks all the boxes.
When we talked with him Saturday, he mentioned how he hopes to one day go to medical school and be a pediatrician. What do you think those goals say about him?
That’s just who he is. From what I know about him … there’s nothing the kid can’t get done. If he has his mind made up to get it done, he’s the one person I know for sure that you can bank on it getting done. I think he’ll do it. He’s smart and manages his time well. He’s not a big-time party guy or that kind of stuff. He uses his time to study and work on football. He’ll find a way to make it happen. That much I know.
ckane@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @ChiTribKane”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-joel-iyiegbuniwe-coach-western-kentucky-20180502-story.html
