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Making Monsters: Getting to Know Bears Roookie Keyshaun Elliott · 2nd City Gridiron

• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, welcome back to another episode of Making Monsters on Taylor Doll and now we're going to get to know some of these draft picks at the bear selected this year almost a month away from the draft at this point heading into OTAs and today joined by coach Bobby Mcmillan former linebackers coach four in a Mexico state where Kishan Elliott went for his first two years of his college career.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: So coach Mcmillan, thanks for hopping on and chatting a little bit of Elliott with me.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, thank you so much for having me excited about it.
• 0:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Super excited about him.
• 0:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's one of the guys.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: The linebacker positions going to be interesting in Chicago this year of how he's used when he's used how much all of those kind of situations.
• 0:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: But you lost a tremendous Edmunds in this last off season.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so there are some question marks when it comes to that room.
• 0:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: So to be fun to see him be able to compete and get out on the field.
• 0:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I wanted to start obviously the bears used the fifth round pick on him.
• 0:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: 166 overall.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: started his career at New Mexico State this first two years, which is where you work with him.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Coming out of high school, I was reading some stuff and it was kind of interesting because he was a three-sport athlete, football basketball track, he played in high school and then when he was playing football, he played quarterback linebacker and puncher, which is a very interesting group of position groups to all play at one time, three-star recruits.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: So just chat a little bit about your first
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so we got Kishan right out of high school, small town and Richmond, Missouri.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: It came into Mexico state.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was our first year as a staff there.
• 1:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: And we knew we could not have him on the field.
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: His athleticism that he brought from high school to the FBS level at the Mexico state was something that we could not have on the field.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: At the time, we had a pretty good lineback in core.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: We had two returning.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: starters at New Mexico state that we inherited from the previous staff, but we brought in Kishan and just knew with his athleticism and his size and his strength that he was a guy that was going to play significant amount of staffs for us as an 18-year-old.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's exactly what he did, you know, he appeared in every single game for our first year in the Mexico state and did extremely well, you know, he's an unbelievable blitzer, play super hard, sideline to sideline, you know, he just as every 18-year-old wants to be
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: right and he showcased that every day in practice and you know with his work ethic and how he approached every single day you know sometimes you as a college football coach you you have to you know kind of pull your young guys along with you right there 18 years old they're got all this freedom now and all these things in kishan was not a guy you know he was about football he was about academics he was all about the right things that you would expect from an older you know from an older player and we were fortunate enough to get that out of
• 2:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love that, and I mentioned this off air, but we do love your hat and your shirt, the support for the Verza.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love the stories, and it's something that when it comes to Ryan Polls and how he's built his team, he's been very adamant about bringing the good players, obviously, but good people, and everything I've read about Kishan kind of links that to him, the type of person you want, and the huddle.
• 3:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: on the field.
• 3:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So talk about that side of things a little bit, the leadership, but aspect just him being able to be one of those guys that you want there down on the field for the outside of the X's and O's also.
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, you know, I joke around with mold co-workers all the time like Kishan is somebody that I would I would let my daughter date You know, he's that he's that type of kid You don't say that about a lot of your players is a coach don't trust me That's that's that's very high praise for a player as if as a college football coach But I mean that's exactly who he is.
• 3:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he's he's a respectful young man.
• 3:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's a great leader You know, he came in like I was talking about earlier.
• 3:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: He came in as an 18-year-old freshman and people were listening to him
• 3:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: right and it wasn't because he was a huge rock rock guy, you know, he's not going to be the guy in the middle of the huddle breaking it down.
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to lead by example.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to work his butt off and every single facet of being a football player and just being a good person and people gravitate towards that.
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's a credit to his family.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: He comes from a great family, you know, small blue collar community and Richmond Missouri, and it just shows with how he is as a person, you know, he's worked for everything he's had, he's earned everything he's been, you know, everything he's earned in his life.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's had to work for, so, and it's not only just a credit to him as a football player doesn't athlete, but, you know, all of his success, a major part of that is who he is as a person as well.
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's shut some of the football.
• 4:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let's start that New Mexico state defense at the time with him on it, explain it a little bit what you guys did, what you guys did, like the scheme wise, how he fit in, how you used your linebacker, some of those things.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so the first year, like I said, Kishal was kind of an unlimited role, just because we had a pretty good linebacker room coming back.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: We used him as an outside sandbacker from a majority of that first year.
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, we just thought with his athleticism, he was so good in space, uh, so we put him kind of as that field overhang, you know, was able to carry three vertical was able to do a lot of different stuff in man to man coverage and, you know, one of the, he's so great at blitzability.
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Dumbly while coming off that, he's a very polished past Russia, you know, as we gravitated towards that second, let's go say, obviously his role increased significantly.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he played that second year for us, he played over 920 snaps, the whole entire year, which is one of the, it was one of the highest in the country at the time.
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that role was how can we make key shots successful, I guess, you know, we put him everywhere.
• 5:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: We had him at Will Linebacker.
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: We had him at Mike Linebacker.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: We put him on the line of skirmish to go rush the passer.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: We used him in a ton of different ways because he's such a versatile football player.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he's so good in past coverage.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: He can carry three vertical.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: He can play, you know, a middle to field run through in Tampa.
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: He can do a lot of different things.
• 6:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I talked about his blitz ability.
• 6:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: you know, he does so much stuff.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's a funny story.
• 6:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: We uh, we were playing middle Tennessee our second year and they were very air raid spread it out, throw it around often.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we didn't think we needed two linebackers on the field.
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we created this brand new package.
• 6:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if anybody uses maybe some people.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: We called it the key package and it was a four one six defense, right?
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: So Kishan was the only linebacker on the field for the whole entire game.
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: We played like a hundred snaps.
• 6:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was hard the next day in meetings, you know, I was basically only talking to Kishan the whole time as we were viewing the game.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: But we ended up winning the game and Kishan had an unbelievable game, but that just, you know, that goes to show the type of versatility he has in the field is football player so
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Was it key defense for kishan?
• 6:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, key defense.
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: We call it the key package.
• 6:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was all kishan and and it was it was a crazy game.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: We ended up on top and key was a big part of that.
• 6:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I love that.
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, the blitzing.
• 7:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think is important.
• 7:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I honestly think it may be one of the reasons that the bears drafted him.
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: You have to install it.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: uh as your defensive coordinator he likes to send all sorts of guys to the quarterback and blitz in different ways and it was something that the bears just went didn't quite have the personnel to do last year and he tried.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: There were moments where the blitz was going and just wasn't getting home and so having guys that have that ability and that's one of the first things I noticed that second year there in New Mexico State he had two and a half stacks and then two the next year at Arizona State when he transferred seven stacks last year so
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't get to watch a ton of very so-and-a-state football, but it seems like they kind of had this recipe for how he works and it does seem like sending him up to the quarterbacks and certain of those blitz packages seem to be kind of his calling card in a certain way.
• 7:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think, you know, that was one of the first things we noticed is that, you know, just, it's, and it comes from, he's, I mean, he's pretty fast, right?
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: He ran off, I think it was like a four, five, four, five, eight, 40 ran as pro day, but he plays a lot faster than, you know, he, he runs a 40 art dash.
• 8:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's so instinctive and he's just a savvy enough football player that when he splits in and trying to get off to the quarterback, he knows how to rush, you know, on offense alignment, he knows how to rush when it's, you know, against
• 8:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: After we, you know, after he transferred out to Mexico State, Coach Dealingham and Coach AJ Cooper, his linebacker coach at Arizona State.
• 8:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: They obviously saw those, you know, him showcase that skill set with us at the Mexico State.
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: And obviously poured into him and they did an unbelievable job continuing his development there.
• 8:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: And obviously he ended his career that way he did.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: So couldn't be happier here.
• 8:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: He ended at such a great staff and such a great program like Arizona State.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you were to have a conversation with Dennis Allen of ways to use him, would you recommend moving him around or would you think at the next level at the NFL, he could kind of benefit at being at one place?
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think what I would tell him is he's a versatile kid and he's going to give you whatever you ask him, he's going to do whatever you ask him to do.
• 9:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously all rookies should do that, but Keyshot is a type of kid that whatever you tell him to go play safety, he'll go play safety, he doesn't care.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's just wants to be a football player.
• 9:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: He wants to go out there.
• 9:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: He wants to hit people.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think utilizing his skill sets in the run game and obviously as a past rusher is going to be huge.
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've obviously done my research after Kishan got drafted.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I know they were talking about some third-down stuff and that's kind of who he is, right?
• 9:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's an athletic enough guy that you can he's so versatile and you can use him in a multitude different ways whether it's rushing the pass or dropping in coverage.
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, but he's also a great defender against the run to on person second down.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just continue to utilize his versatility and obviously, you know, continue to build his role, whether it's through special teams or on defense, he's going to surprise those guys, I think, and and be a Chicago bear hopefully for a really long time.
• 9:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Have you been able to talk to him since he got drafted.
• 9:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so it's funny, this is a funny story.
• 9:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he actually invited me to his draft party in Richmond.
• 10:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately, I have a 13-month-old, so we were not going to be able to make that drive.
• 10:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, thank you.
• 10:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I text him, you know, we had been talking before.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he was like, yes, how are we going to be a day two or day three deal?
• 10:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you guys want to come up, it's just that we're going to do a small gathering with the family and everybody.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: I texted them and I said, hey, you know, unfortunately, we're not going to be able to make it.
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: The babies, you know, she wasn't feeling good at the time, but I'm so proud of you, you know, a long message.
• 10:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: So proud of you.
• 10:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Congrats on everything you've done.
• 10:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: You've earned it the hard way and, you know, you're going to have a great career.
• 10:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And at the end of the message, I said to him, joking, this is before you got drafted.
• 10:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: I said, if you get to choose, choose the bearish.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I grew up in Chicago, I grew up a bear's fan and it comes fan my whole life.
• 10:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: And obviously, you know, a day or so later, he faced I mean, I was at lunch with my wife and daughter and he's freaking, and unfortunately, I was trying to get the draft on my phone and I couldn't get it because the wife I was terrible in this place that we were at and he had his bear's hat on and I was like, freaking out.
• 11:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, no way, this is actually a thing.
• 11:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So you could say, I mean, I don't want to take credit for it but I basically got K-Shot draft into the bear's shirt.
• 11:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well we appreciate it.
• 11:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just kidding but no I couldn't be happier man he ended up in the greatest organization in the NFL so I'm super excited for him.
• 11:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love it and it really fun time too.
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's like we've talked so much about I mean you know being a bear's fan.
• 11:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: The linebackers in Chicago are historic and that's what it is is the defense and obviously the defense last year.
• 11:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: had a lot of issues and you mentioned the wrong and that's one of the things that couldn't rush the past when they couldn't stop the wrong.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: They got a bunch of turnt takeaways and that's about it.
• 11:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so being able to kind of fit have guys that fit that Denis Allen deepens I think are really important and you following along obviously one of the comps I saw on one of his draft profiles was Damarko Jackson who obviously stepped into a pivotal role this last year and then they resigned him and during the offseason.
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do you see any similarities from watching the bears last year
• 12:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I do.
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, I kind of told them that before, you know, me and I talked to a bunch of my coworkers and obviously Kishan still and I actually, you know, he was one of the guys that I thought compared to Kishan really, really, I thought that was a great NFL account.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I saw the same thing.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, just the size and again, I keep saying this word, but the versatility, right?
• 12:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: They used a Marco in a ton of different ways.
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: And obviously his role last year was a little bit limited to the injuries and everything kind of popped up and he kind of started to play a little bit more.
• 12:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, I see I see Kishan, you know, hopefully taking over that role, competing for that role because I think those two are very, very similar.
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're cut from the same cloth as a football player.
• 12:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: So again, I'm just excited to see the work that Kishan puts in in the competition that isn't
• 12:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, they're going to have they got that's obviously a big question mark for the bears this year, but I think that got a great addition and key Sean Elliott and hopefully he goes out there and shows them, you know, that he can beat that he can do it.
• 12:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: So do you think they should add another past roster.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, I think so, you know, I think everybody, everybody gives our boy Austin Booker some flag.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's due, man.
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's due for a good season, you know, I think Montez, he's got, he's got, he's still got some in the tank, man.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think we just, you know, it's just, we need to gel.
• 13:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like last year as just, again, this is a bears fan, not as a coach.
• 13:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously down in the salon, knows a lot of more about football than I do.
• 13:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I just think we just need a gel, I think it's just all these to come together and I think with this year's draft class, you know, especially on the defensive side of the ball, we added some key additions and I think, you know, if there's any year to do it, this is our year.
• 13:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: So let's go out there and put the continue to put out a good product.
• 13:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that's what I'm with you on Booker.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that last year in the limited time, he didn't come back until week nine had three and a half sacks, two taken away technically due to penalty against Jordan Love and then had a sack in the postseason.
• 13:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I do think we could see a year where he hits that 10 sack mark just because I feel like Austin Booker could be that type of guy, especially if you start getting some penetration up the middle.
• 14:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Coach, I'm really appreciate you hopping on and chatting with us.
• 14:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's cool to know your bears fan.
• 14:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you get to double cheer for Chicago.
• 14:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Awesome, yeah, thank you so much and go bearish.
• 14:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yep, go bear, thanks so much.
• 14:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, absolutely.