Floyd focusing on sacks with Bears

At Georgia, Leonard Floyd did just about everything. A long, freakish athlete with speed, Floyd played inside and outside linebacker and even saw time at nickelback during his three years as a standout for the Bulldogs’ defense.

“It was a sense of pride (for me),” Floyd said. “That showed I could play multiple things, and that meant (the coaches) believed in me and my ability to do more than one thing.”

But the Chicago Bears drafted him with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft with essentially one thing in mind: sacks.

While Floyd didn’t have impressive sack totals in college, the Bears believe that having Floyd focus solely on being an outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense will turn into big results and fearful quarterbacks.

“He’s shown that he’s a good pass rusher in college,” Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “He just doesn’t have the numbers to support that on a piece of paper. But a lot of that is due to the way they used him, too.”

Floyd, however, doesn’t look back at his time with the Bulldogs with any regrets. He said playing multiple positions helped his transition in Fangio’s defense, particularly in pass coverage.

“I was pretty comfortable day one when I got here,” Floyd said.

Fangio also said playing multiple positions enhanced Floyd’s “football instincts.”

“We’ll see if that translates,” Fangio said. “(But) there were a lot of things to like from his athletic ability (and) movement."

Floyd’s ability to drop into coverage, however, didn’t make him a top-10 pick. The Bears, who traded up from the 11th pick to the ninth, need him to beat offensive tackles with his coveted speed and take down quarterbacks. The team sees Floyd’s speed as the ideal complement to their power rushers, namely Pernell McPhee and Lamarr Houston.

“(Floyd’s) got tremendous athleticism,” Bears head coach John Fox said.

But the Bears also want Floyd to fill out his naturally slim frame.

Concerns about Floyd’s size and durability at the NFL level have been the prevailing narrative since he was drafted.

Floyd, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, has a weight-gain plan that would be a dream to have. Essentially, Jennifer Gibson, the Bears’ sports-science coordinator and dietician, wants Floyd to eat his favorite foods nearly every hour of every day.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace said that ideally Floyd would play in the 240s, although Fangio is prepared for him to weigh around 235 pounds. On the field, Floyd has focused on developing a repertoire of power moves to pair with his speed.

“I believe I can add weight and still be as fast as I am,” Floyd said.

Floyd’s new teammates believe that after seeing what he did during his first organized team activities and mini-camp.

“Sky’s the limit (for him),” said outside linebacker Willie Young, a 30-year-old veteran who has become a mentor to Floyd. “He’s very explosive, very fast.”

The Bears’ offense experienced that explosiveness firsthand during OTAs and mini-camp.

“You see it on tape,” said guard Kyle Long, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. “He flashes some really, really good stuff. Obviously, he can run all over the field. He covers anything with a heartbeat — and he can rush the passer. That’s a dynamic guy.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Floyd focusing on sacks with Bears."