By now Chicago Bears fans are well-acquainted with the legend of Khalil Mack. His domination through the first four games of the season was a testament to exactly what the team got when they traded for him back in September. Once his ankle is healed, they should expect that same player to return within the next couple weeks.
As it turns out, the legend of Mack started many years ago. He came out of nowhere at the University of Buffalo to become the #5 overall pick of the Oakland Raiders. His performance against Ohio State in 2013 (2.5 sacks and a pick-six) launched him into the stratosphere. Teammates though said they knew he was destined for greatness long before that.
One of the most telling instances came during a random practice. Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times learned about it from Mack’s former QB at Buffalo, who told a story of what happened during one particular drill.
Later in Mack’s career, Licata threw a pass during 11-on-11 drills and felt pressure coming from his left side. He was never touched.
It wasn’t until Licata watched practice film later that he realized what had happened: Mack had fired off the line of scrimmage and punched at the Bulls’ 315-pound left tackle, sending him flying into the air.
The tackle would have landed on the UB quarterback — but Mack saw what was about to happen and plucked the tackle out of the air with one arm.
Licata was staring at the film, amazed, when Mack happened to walk by.
“He said, ‘He was about to hit you,’ ” Licata said. “ ‘I grabbed him and put him down.’ ”
Khalil Mack is a level of strong that sometimes defies description
Think about that for a second. Mack is 6’2 and between 250-255 lbs. To think he took a guy who outweighed him by 60 lbs or more and chucked him into the air like body pillow is just absurd. It’s proof that some people are just created differently. A man of Mack’s size normally shouldn’t be that strong, but he is. He’s proven that much at times in the NFL.
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This in addition to being a top tier athletic with speed and quickness. It’s little wonder he’s such a nightmare to block. All the more reason the Bears are happy to have him and can’t wait to get him back in the near future. Given his reputation from back in those days, he’ll be more than a little motivated to make up for lost time.
