When it came to Darnell Wright in the 1st round, the Chicago Bears’ approach was straightforward. They evaluated his game tape and came away impressed. From there, GM Ryan Poles and the coaching staff wanted to know how conditioned and mentally resilient he was. They found that out at his private visit. When he made it through a rigorous workout designed to make him quit, they were convinced he’d be their 1st round pick. Regarding their next selection, Gervon Dexter, things got way more technical.
While Poles loved what he saw from the Florida defensive tackle on tape and the athletic testing, something else sold the organization. He explained it to Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network as something called the DXA scan. That is short for dual X-ray absorptiometry. It is something newly implemented at the scouting combine and designed to determine a player’s body mass composition. The goal is to see where a player carries fat, muscle, and bone. Poles came away excited by Dexter’s scan for a specific reason.
Gervon Dexter is not done growing.
That alone should be terrifying to some people. He’s already 6’6 and 310 lbs, with some of the best strength in the entire 2023 draft class. Yet the DXA scan told the Bears he could add even more power to his frame without the risk of losing any of his substantial athleticism. No wonder they were so quick to take him 53rd overall last month. He was already an excellent nose tackle at Florida. His ceiling appears even higher than some draft evaluators would have you believe.
Of course, this doesn’t guarantee success for Gervon Dexter. Having such physical capability doesn’t always translate to the field. Many elite athletes have failed in the NFL. His job is to take that immense talent, channeling through hard work, and put everything together on the field. If he absorbs Eberflus’ coaching the way he should, this young man can be a true monster in the middle of this defense. It is incredible how far technology has come in aiding the draft process.
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Speaking of technology, how about automatically rejecting all posts with links?
It would be interesting to know what the Fridge’s lean body mass was. He was definitely not “tight” but could still eat up some space on the defensive line.
In college back in 1961 I watched a 440-yard race. At the halfway point, an analyst said the runner had run the first half 1/10th of a second too fast! This would cause his muscles to bind up on the second half of the race. I was incredulous that people would study a sport so intensely!
We’ve come a long way, baby! Dual x-ray absorptiometry?! At the combine? 20 years of RAS? And we sit at hope looking at a few film clips!
And guess what? Sometimes we still make a better pick than many GMs. Wow!
Please don’t become Alonzo Spellman
Dr. Frankenstein building the perfect nose tackle.