Chris Grier – April 27, 2018 (Round 3)
Download PDF version
Friday, April 27, 2018
GM Chris Grier
(following LB Jerome Baker selection in Round 3)
(Opening Statement) – “We selected Jerome Baker, a linebacker from Ohio State. It was a guy that we spent a lot of time with. (Linebackers) Coach (Frank) Bush really got to know the kid through the draft process and for us, he had speed. We want to get faster on defense, so adding him and Minkah (Fitzpatrick) these first two days … It was a big priority on that side to get faster, and this kid has that. He is a tough kid. He’s sideline to sideline, the prototypical new-age type of linebacker. We have some insider trading info obviously with Raekwon (McMillan) being on the roster. Raekwon spoke very highly and as well as when we had Denzel Ward in for a visit. He kind of raved about the kid, talked about what kind of a player he was and teammate. For us, getting to know the kid, we were excited. We needed to add speed and it’ll be a competitive group now, to add some more, and we’ll see what happens the rest of the weekend.”
(Do you envision LB Jerome Baker as an outside linebacker?) – “I’ll leave that for the coaches. There (at Ohio State), he was the Will (linebacker). He blitzed a little bit off the outside; but he was covered up, running and chasing. That’s how (we) envision (it); but wherever he lines up with the coaches, we’ll put him.”
(You mentioned the importance of improving speed, but it seems like versatility is also the name of this draft as well – getting more versatile pieces. Is that something that you looked at in LB Jerome Baker’s game and why you were kind of drawn to him?) – “Yes. Like we talked about with the (Mike) Gesicki pick, it’s a matchup league and coaches now are … It’s a lot of matchups and scheming. So for us, it’s finding players that can do more and add the speed and athleticism for this game. We’ve struggled at times on defense here. We’ve played well at times. We’re just trying to get players that add more speed and get more consistent on defense, so we’re excited to add him.”
(Watching him in coverage, what do you think are some traits that allowed him to be successful at Ohio State in coverage, as well?) – “He’s just very athletic, first of all. He can turn his hips, he can run and he gains depth. Then it’s the speed. You go there and (Ohio State Assistant Athletic Director, Football Sport Performance) Mickey Marotti, one of the top strength coaches in the nation talked about, ‘This guy is as fast as Ryan Shazier.’ And they were shocked he ran, running 4.53 (40-time) at the combine. They’re like, ‘This guy is much faster than that,’ and you see that on film – whether he was tired that day or whatever. They just constantly raved about how fast this player was, so we were happy to add him.”
(You mentioned new-aged linebackers. Do you even worry about the prototypical Sam linebacker at this point? Do you need a 253-pound outside linebacker or no?) – “Some of those are like the way of the dinosaur, those Sams now, depending on what you scheme is. I’m just being honest. We’re fortunate to have Raekwon as a middle linebacker. That’s a bigger linebacker coming out nowadays. So for us … Kiko (Alonso) is 240-plus pounds. Now he came back at 240-plus and now adding this. So we have two big linebackers that can run and now we’re adding more speed; and then Stephone Anthony as well is a big guy that is a 4.50 (40-time) guy. We’re just adding more speed and athleticism to the group.”
(In the NBA, they’re doing something called position-less basketball where you just get basketball players out there. Are you guys doing that in the back seven of the defense or is that a mischaracterization? Just getting athletes and not specific positions.) – “You’ve heard … We’ve talked about the big thing for us is guys that love the game and are smart. If you get those guys that are athletic, fast and then you add guys that are smart and love football, I just think it gives you the ability to do more things. The smarter your team is, the more versatile – as you say – you can be. You always have to adjust to what league trends are. So for us, this was a good pick for us and we’re happy to have him.”
(What’s your sense for where LB Jerome Baker is in his development and how ready or not he is to contribute quickly?) – “I think each player is different. There are some players that come in the league and you’re like, ‘Oh, this guy is definitely ready,’ and then you get him in an NFL camp and he struggles a little bit and it takes him a little while to adjust. Again, Baker comes from a great program at Ohio State and coached by Urban Meyer, so he’s been coached hard and coached well. So for us, I don’t think the stage will be too big for him; but it’ll be up to him really and how he picks up our scheme and learns as we go through the spring and summer.”
(There have only been [five] quarterbacks taken in the draft thus far, so how much did you consider that position being that you could get one of the top second-tier guys at pick No. 73?) – “It was a consideration, but for us, (Jerome) Baker was a guy at that spot that was just too good for us to pass up.”
(How does LB Jerome Baker fit into the culture change you guys are trying to implement?) – “I think you guys have heard me over the last couple of years. The types of players we’ve added, and I know a couple of you guys, just in passing, we’ve talked about what kind of kids these guys are. They’re smart. They love football. They’re good kids. Some of them have been captains on teams, some of them not; but they’ve been team leaders. For us, again, it’s adding good kids with good character; but the guys that have traits that you like that you think will translate into production at the NFL level.”
(How busy have you guys been on the phone? I know you’re always taking calls, but have you been very busy? Have you thought much about trying to get back into the third round?) – “Yes, a little bit. Everyone in the league right now is calling up and down. Even before the third round started, we had people calling from below trying to trade up, so it’s an active time for everyone trying to get up in each draft, when you get to the end of the third round and position yourself in the top of the fourth.”
(How do you feel about having added a tight end and a linebacker from a positional-need standpoint today?) – “Those are positions we needed to create some more competition at. These are players we had spent a lot of time with, so for us, we feel fortunate to have them because we feel good about them. Now it is up to the players to go out and perform. We think they will and time will tell.”
