Bears continue to beef up the trenches with first pick of second round
The Chicago Bears beefed up their offensive line by selecting offensive tackle Darnell Wright with their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, so it's no surprise that they drafted defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. with their first pick of the second round. Dexter still has a ways to go before reaching his potential, but […]
The Chicago Bears beefed up their offensive line by selecting offensive tackle Darnell Wright with their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, so it's no surprise that they drafted defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. with their first pick of the second round.
Dexter still has a ways to go before reaching his potential, but that's not because he's very raw – he just has a very high ceiling. There's a lot to like about him – he's a big guy at 6-foot-5, 318-pounds but he's very coordinated and can move well for his size.
He just has to refine his craft and learn to add more discipline to his technique. The good news is he has a full year to do that, as Justin Jones is the incumbent starter at 3-tech for the Bears and it doesn't look like that's going to change unless Dexter simply blows people away during the offseason and in training camp.
Matt Eberflus loves good 3-techs and Dexter could be that guy
The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote the following about Dexter in The Beast and it perfectly encapsulates why Eberflus wants the former Florida Gator:
A two-year starter at Florida, Dexter was primarily a 3-technique defensive tackle in co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer’s four-man front, lining up everywhere from nose tackle to head up over the tackle… Dexter carries his weight well with impressive foot quickness and pass rush potential, although you wish he had more backfield production to show for it. His impact can be traced to his ability to leverage – he is a very different player when he utilizes his long levers to put blockers on skates as a pass rusher or anchor, stack and work the point in the run game. Dexter must develop a more disciplined approach to turn the flashes into more consistent play, but he is an agile, coordinated big man who has yet to play his best football. He is a traits-based projection who can play up and down the line, which will interest both even and odd fronts.
Eberflus has described the 3-tech in his defense as the "engine that makes everything go", so it makes sense he'd covet a traits-based player like Dexter. Eberflus also treasures the WILL position in his defense and they signed T.J. Edwards to man that spot in the offseason, so it's clear the Bears are still building this defense in Eberflus' vision.
"We call it the engine that makes everything go," Eberflus told reporters Tuesday. "Because, in the running game, you can't run at the 3 [technique] and you can't run away from them. It's hard to really dictate where you're going to run the ball, number one. And it creates a lot of free lanes for your linebackers to run through in the run game.
"In the pass game, a lot of times when you have two of them -a 3-technique and a defensive end opposite of him- it's hard to move your line that way. He creates a lot of 1-on-1s and he's typically overmatched on a guard. Typically, your best offensive linemen are on the outside and if you have your best player on the inside, it's certainly an advantage for you."
