Chicago Bears rookie outside linebacker Leonard Floyd will wear the No. 94 to honor DeMarcus Ware, who’s been one of his idols for a few years.
#Bears Floyd donning No. 94 in honor of Ware.
STORY: https://t.co/SSPHzhPD7d pic.twitter.com/sKOFe4826Y
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 13, 2016
Hopefully, Floyd will be able to do what Ware has done, dominating the NFL for more than a decade. Until then, he’ll try to emulate what he’s seen on tape. His defensive coordinator at Georgia, Todd Grantham, turned him onto Ware in 2013, and he’s been a fan ever since.
“[Grantham] was showing me film and highlights of [Ware],” said Floyd, via the team’s website. “After watching those highlights of him I became a fan and I always made sure that I put up a highlight film of him.”
When asked about what he loves, Floyd responded:
“Just his overall dominance. And how he has (offensive) tackles guessing on moves that they think he’s going to do and he ends up doing the exact opposite and getting sacks from that.”
Floyd enters the NFL with high expectations, having been selected No. 9 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
He’s a lankier player than Aldon Smith was when he entered the league but could bulk up a bit to gain more strength on the edge. If he pleases defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who had Smith in San Francisco, then Floyd should be a situational pass rusher right out of the gates.
Floyd was extremely active on Georgia’s 3-4 front, racking up 182 total tackles (26.5 for loss) with 17 sacks in three years.