Roquan Smith was often the center of attention as star linebacker for Georgia’s defense. On Friday afternoon at Halas Hall, the first-round pick was the center of attention for his first appearance as a member of the Bears.
So what kind of player did GM Ryan Pace select to build his defense around?
“They’re getting a relentless player,” Smith said. “A tremendous leader, on and off the field. A high character guy. Do things the right way. Extremely rangy. I feel when I’m on the field, I’m sideline to sideline.”
Smith, a welcomed addition for the Bears at linebacker after an offseason focused on surrounding Mitch Trubisky with more help, has high expectations for himself just like everyone around him.
Pace said Thursday night he was “fired up” about landing the Bulldogs star. The ties to the Bears’ lineage of brilliant linebackers have been spelled out for all to see. He’s already been asked about it multiple times in the hours since his name was announced by Roger Goodell.
But there will be a lot more time to figure out how Smith fits as a player over the next few years. In the meantime, here are a few other things we learned about the Bears’ 2018 first-round pick in his first press conference at Halas Hall.
He initially thought he’d be a basketball player
Smith said he played basketball from 9th through 11th grades, and for a time, he thought he was more likely to be the next Michael Jordan than Brian Urlacher.
“As I look back on it, I was obviously better at football, but in my mind, I had it made up: I’m a basketball player,” Smith said.
But one of Smith’s coaches gave him some advice that, in retrospect, looks rather smart. “Son, you’re a football player. Football is going to be your bread and butter.”
He had never visited Chicago before the draft process
Smith grew up in Georgia and attended college nearby, so he had never been to Chicago prior to this year.
“I came once on a visit so this is my second time,” Smith said. “But I heard a lot of great things. I have a lot of students who I went to school with, a lot of my peers and what not, that ended up moving to Chicago. They tell me what a great place it is. I’m excited to be here, and I’m very grateful.”
Why he initially chose UCLA over Georgia
Back in 2015, Smith was at the center of a controversy when he backed out of a commitment to UCLA to attend Georgia. He had made a commitment to the Bruins on ESPNU, but after discovering that an assistant coach had taken a job with the Atlanta Falcons, he refused to sign his national letter of intent and instead attended Georgia.
What was going through his head that day when he chose UCLA?
“It was close to 1,000 people inside the gymnasium, ESPN’s there, you can’t just walk out and just say, ‘Hey, I’m calling signing day off for today.’ That would’ve been pretty hilarious, but I knew I had to do something.”
Smith would later go on to say that after being at Georgia, he couldn’t envision having gone anywhere else.
He played QB and linebacker as a kid
Evaluators have said that Smith can be like the quarterback of a defense given his instincts and leadership skills, so it makes some sense that he used to line up under center as a kid. Smith said Friday that he gravitated to linebacker for many of the same reasons guys play QB.
“Just being a leader of the team. You’re right in the middle, so it’s hard to avoid you,” Smith said. “Everything has to pretty much come through you.”
He remembers playing Mitch Trubisky
Week 1 of the 2016 college football season, Smith and Georgia took on North Carolina, which had a freshman quarterback named Mitch Trubisky. “It was pretty special, we played up in the Georgia Dome,” Smith said.
The Bulldogs went on to a 33-24 win as Smith, then a sophomore, recorded six tackles and two tackles for loss. Trubisky completed 24-of-40 passes for 156 yards with zero TDs or interceptions.