Thomas Graham Jr. might have a bit of an edge over the usual rookie coming into a pro defensive system.
Considering the Oregon cornerback will be the newest young face in a group of younger Bears secondary players, he'll need any advantage he can get.
Graham didn't feel completely ill at ease trying to fit into a new defensive system at rookie camp. He already had played in something similar to the scheme new coordinator Sean Desai is implementing.
"It's amazing," Graham said. "Definitely because he comes from the same tree as my first defensive coordinator in college, so I spent two years in that defense. I've just kind of got to get used to the calls and the checks."
The first defensive coordinator he was talking about was Jim Leavitt, a longtime assistant or college head coach dating back into the 1970s. Leavitt was linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers when Vic Fangio was heading up that defense prior to coming to be Chicago defensive coordinator.
So the connection Graham has to his new defensive system is obvious, as it's the same system the Bears have chosen to deploy again after defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano's departure.
"For me personally, it wasn't like I'm coming into a whole organization that runs like a completely different defense that I've never seen before," Graham said. "I've seen it. It's just different calls, different checks, different meanings for certain things but overall the same concept."
Some of the other defenders were looking to Graham at the rookie camp when everyone seemed a bit lost at times, because he had played in the system. But like Graham said, a good deal of it is different.
"So, being able to play fast once you learn it is, I think, going to be able to slow the game down for me," he said. "Just kind of being a freshman (now) in college all over again."
Graham, who had eight college interceptions, could actually fit into either one of the two open starting positions in the Bears secondary.
"They just told me that they want me to come in here and learn the playbook, be able to play both corner and nickel," Graham said. "So they told me just go out there and compete, do as best as you can, and that's what I'm going to do.
"Me, personally, I want to go out there and start, but nothing is given in this league. You have to go take it. You have to earn it."
The Bears continue to say they like Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelley as possible outside cornerbacks or slot cornerbacks, but coach Matt Nagy wants to include Graham in this same category.
Graham slid all the way to the last pick of Round 6 after some predraft projections had him as a third-rounder. The possibility exists it may have had to do with his year away from the sport as an opt-out.
"I absolutely think there's an opportunity for him," Nagy said. "You guys could see two years ago what type of player he was. We saw it — really, really talented. (He) did sit out this year, so for anybody that didn't play we want to make sure that they come in and are really able to learn Sean's system on defense and then let Sean and those guys and (defensive backs coach) Deshea (Townsend) really figure out what's best for him, whether it's in the slot at nickel or outside at corner or both."
Nagy said youth in the slot defensive back position is one the Bears can cope with because both Desai and Townsend have experience handling this spot.
"I know that's coach Desai's forte is the nickel position, so I know they're going to be coached well between him and Deshea," Nagy said. "Deshea being in the nickel, as well. It's really going to be what can he handle mentally and then competition, man.
"Let's let those guys go out there and then see what they can do against our (receivers) in the slot."
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