One of the more interesting additions the Chicago Bears made this offseason wasn’t even a player. It was a coach. That came when they hired former Texas head coach Tom Herman as an offensive analyst. It was a move that came out of left field. Less for the Bears’ interest in him and more his interest in them. Despite his exit from Texas, it wasn’t hard to envision Herman getting a prominent job elsewhere in the college game. Particularly as an offensive coordinator.
Yet he chose an analyst role in Chicago? Odd. Either way, it’s clear the Bears had an agenda by pushing to hire him. While his reputation as a head coach is somewhat less than ideal, the same can’t be said for his prowess as an offensive mind. Don’t believe it? Just look at what Ta’Quon Graham had to say. According to Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron, the Texas draft prospect has met with the Bears multiple times. He considers Herman an offensive genius and is quite interested in reuniting with him in the pros.
The best part of this? Graham is a defensive lineman.
Texas DL Ta’Quon Graham tells me he has had multiple meetings with the #Bears.
Graham’s former head coach, Tom Herman, is in Chicago as an offensive analyst. He calls Herman an “offensive genius” and is definitely open to a reunion between them in the NFL.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) April 13, 2021
What he says holds plenty of merits too. Herman has been an offensive coordinator or head coach in Division I football since 2007. In that time he has produced a top 20 offense in the country five times. This for four different programs. A surefire sign that the guy knows what he’s doing. He did a strong job producing future NFL talent on that side of the ball. Here are just a few names of note.
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- James Casey (TE, Rice)
- Kelechi Osemele (OG, Iowa State)
- Corey Linsley (C, Ohio State)
- Michael Thomas (WR, Ohio State)
- Connor Williams (OG, Texas)
It’s pretty clear from that list he has a knack for identifying offensive line talent. Not a bad thing considering that area of the Bears roster needs help. One thing Herman was particularly good at was producing effective running games out of the spread formation. Something head coach Matt Nagy has struggled to pull off since he arrived in 2018. Being able to pick such a brain can only be considered beneficial.
Tom Herman can help them with Graham as well
Just because he’s an offensive mind doesn’t mean he can’t identify defensive talent. In fact, Texas and Houston produced more quality defensive draft picks during his tenures as head coach than offensive ones. Could Graham end up joining that group? It’s a possibility. The young defensive tackle was an interesting study over the final two years at Texas. He only had 4.5 sacks total but also 17.5 tackles for a loss.
His size isn’t too bad at 6’3 and just shy of 300 lbs. What really stands out about him is his 35-inch arms. Exceedingly long for a defensive tackle. It’s possible the Bears see his future as a 3-4 defensive end. While his pass rush skill may be limited, his length and power could turn him into a solid run defender. Somebody who can hold the edge, allowing the linebackers to make plays on the ball.
NFL.com projects him to go somewhere between the 6th and 7th rounds.
So the Bears likely view him as a development project. Similar to Bilal Nichols and Roy Robertson-Harris. Tom Herman will no doubt offer his insider knowledge on other Texas draft hopefuls as well. It’ll be interesting to see if Ryan Pace takes advantage of it.