Chris Grier and Brian Flores – April 30, 2021
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Friday, April 30, 2021
General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores
Chris Grier:
(I wanted to get into the selection of T Liam Eichenberg and the trade up to basically secure his services. What went into the thought process to move up and do you envision him as a tackle or a guard in the NFL?) – “I think for us, when we made the trade, we knew there was going to be a run of offensive linemen. As you saw in that second round, there was a big run of offensive linemen; and so for us, it was important to get up. We spent a lot of time getting to know Liam. We liked his toughness, his character. He competes. He’s a durable player who’s played a lot of football. He’s very smart. So for us, he was a guy that we had talked about and targeted and felt all the stuff that Brian (Flores), myself, the coaching staff and scouts were looking for. So it was important to get up and get him. As you saw, it was a big run on offensive linemen in that round and as Brian says, these guys have to earn positions. They’re rookies coming in; but this kid is a tough, competitive kid that is smart, understands football, comes from a good program, has been coached well. I’ll defer to Brian if he wants to talk about positions he’s playing, but this kid will come in and compete.”
Brian Flores:
“As far as positions, I think he’s played left, he’s played some right and I think we’ve just got to get him in here before we get into positions. Get him in, get him acclimated, get him getting to know his teammates and obviously learning the playbook and we’ll work him in with our group. But he’s got versatility to play left, right, guard; so like always, we’re always looking to play the best five so he’s got to earn his role on this team.”
Chris Grier:
(How much disappointment and concern that you did not add a top tier running back the first two days?) – “We’re very excited with the players we added. We spent a lot of time going over the board, the draft – studying it and where players would fall. And the players we got, we’re very excited to have and we have good runners on the roster. We feel good about our guys. We added Malcolm Brown to the group in free agency, so we’ve upgraded our roster. We feel good where we are as a team right now. As we’ve always said, we’ll keep looking and running through every position and looking for upgrades, potentially at every position all the way up through the season, as we’ve always done.”
(I’m curious, there’s often like a debate about the value of running backs, in general, as far as positional value. I’m curious you and Head Coach Brian Flores’ perspective on the positional value at running back versus maybe some other positions and how that equates when you’re going about your draft decisions?) – “I think when you talk about the draft, you’re always – you evaluate the players. I don’t think you’re worried about value and stuff. When you look at your team, the fits – I think when you draft on need, at times you reach for stuff and start trying to appease what some people may think about it. At the end of the day, you set your board with the best players available and you want to make sure that you’re adding good players to your roster. We’d love to draft every position, every player every year if we could. But for us, the players we added were at the right spots for us and we feel good about it.”
(If I can follow up there, I know we talked about the T Liam Eichenberg trade earlier. Was there any hesitancy to trade that 2022 pick? I know a lot of people that believe that maybe next year’s draft is valuable because there’s more certainty, but how did you kind of go through the process and deciding to do that, to move up?) – “With us, we’re always willing to move, move up and down, as you know. We’re willing to be aggressive and for us, there really is no certainty for next year as you know, just because people are playing more games – who knows if the quality of the players or the depth of the draft will be deep or pools of whatever position you’re looking for may not be as deep that year. So for us as we’re looking and working to build our team, when Brian and I were talking and discussing it, we thought Liam was a player that we really liked at that spot, and there was a run on offensive linemen and you can never have enough offensive linemen. We’re always looking for competition in that group and he’ll come in and compete with these guys. Another good kid – smart, tough – he’ll come in and compete.”
(It seemed to us that the Broncos sensed that you might go after RB Javonte Williams. They traded up right before you in the second round. Were they right? Was that a player that you had targeted at that spot and was it a disappointment that he came off the board?) – “No. As we work through it, we’re very cognizant of what’s going on and around and for us, like I said, we have good players at the running back position. We’re looking to upgrade the roster at every position. For us, the players that we liked there were there. Javonte is a good player. There were a lot of good players; but for us, the guys we picked we’re very happy to get.”
(With TE Hunter Long, what did you guys like about him, considering you guys do have some pretty good depth at the tight end position. And I guess for Head Coach Brian Flores, did you have any extra intel considering his school?) – “Yeah, I had no say in the pick because he’s from Boston College. It was all Brian. (laughter)”
Brian Flores:
“Obviously I was excited to add an Eagle. Hunter is tough. He’s smart. We had him at the Senior Bowl, so our entire coaching staff got a chance to spend some time with him. He’s a typical Boston College player. He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s team-first and we’re excited to have him, along with all of the other guys we’ve grabbed over the last couple days. It’s been a fun two days. We like all of these picks and we’re excited.”
Chris Grier:
(You had mentioned that playmakers were something you guys were seeking this offseason in a prior press conference. I’m wondering, S Jevon Holland – nine interceptions and almost averages a pass breakup or pass defensed per game in college – how do you think he satisfies that playmaker trait on defense?) – “He’s a very smart, instinctive football player that’s been a very productive player. He’s also been a punt returner there, which we talk about, too; but at the end of the day, this guy just has a nose for the football. But it was his football intelligence and getting to know the kid that stood out as well. I think for us, going through this with Brian (Flores) – we were really excited. We were nervous that this player may not get there because there were a lot of people that really liked this player. We heard that after we made the pick – we got numerous calls and texts. I think for us, adding a player of that caliber – Brian and I, we’re really excited and our defensive staff was really happy. We’re happy to have him and I think he’s been a good player and has a good chance to be a good player for us.”
Brian Flores:
“Jevon was one of, honestly, my favorite players to watch. Very versatile, played inside, played safety, punt return. I think you mentioned it – a lot of ball production – so we’re excited to get him and work with him, and I think he’ll be a great fit for our team.”
Chris Grier:
(In terms of what you achieved in the first two days of the draft, obviously you wanted to add tough, smart, physical players. Do you feel like you’ve improved your roster? How?) – “I think we feel that we’ve upgraded our roster. We’ve added some speed, some playmaking. We got some guys at o-line, d-line, which are always – that showed last year how important that is to win in this league. Like you said, playmakers on offense and defense. Guys that can make plays on the ball and score touchdowns. For us, we have a good roster. Adding these guys in with the competition and the competitive spirit as we’ve talked about, will be really good and help us keep growing. We’re very happy and pleased, and for us it was a really good two days for us so far.”
Brian Flores:
(If I can ask about S Jevon Holland, I know Head Coach Brian Flores, you were a safeties coach coming up in New England, so you probably have an idea of what you want in your safeties. He mentioned when we talk to him that he models his game after S Tyrann Mathieu. I’m curious do you see that in his skillset? Obviously that’s lofty praise, but do you see that in the skillset in being able to be in the box, play deep safety, play slot and do all of the things that the Honey Badger does?) – “I’m not one for comparisons. Based on what I saw on tape, like I said earlier, I really enjoyed watching Jevon play for a lot of reasons. The way he tackles, the way he defeats blocks, his versatility – he played some nickel, played some deep safety. There are a lot of things to like. I’m not into comparisons, but I feel like he’ll be a good fit for what we do. I think he’s got leadership qualities. I think he’s got the ability to communicate and really quarterback a defense because he’s smart. I’m excited to have him. We’ll see. He’ll get an opportunity to earn a role on this team and I’m hopeful that he can fill multiple roles; and if he can handle it, then we’ll do it and if he can’t, then we’ll work with him until he can. As far as comparisons, I don’t get into those. I like what I saw and I think there is potential there; but like any rookie and all of the rookies we’ve talked about over the last couple of days, I know there is a lot of excitement over the draft but these guys have a long way to go. They’ve got to learn the new playbook, they’ve got to get acclimated to the NFL and professional football. We need to help them with that; we will help them with that. There is hopefully going to be a lot of growth and development from now until obviously the spring, and then getting into training camp and getting them going and getting them started in their NFL careers. This is one part of it and we’ll help them grow and hopefully develop and improve.”
Chris Grier:
(How do you feel about the picks you have left tomorrow? One in the fifth, two in the seventh. Do you see yourself moving into the fourth or sixth rounds, or how do you see tomorrow unfolding?) – “Like everything, we’ll be aggressive to move up and down. We’ll listen and we’ll pick the best players for us. Everything is fluid as always, especially day three.”
