Ryan Nall made 'right decision,' excited to join the Bears
May 3, 2018 8:14:20 GMT -6
AlexM and riczaj01 like this
Post by JABF on May 3, 2018 8:14:20 GMT -6
This is an enjoyable read about UDFA Nall. I wish him luck.
LINK
Three weeks ago, Ryan Nall spotted one notably familiar face while moving through Halas Hall, the headquarters of the Chicago Bears in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Amid a blur of conversations with the general manager, assistant coaches, scouts and other personnel during a pre-draft team visit, Mark Helfrich emerged.
“When we were talking, he was saying how it’s funny that he could have recruited me when we were 130 miles apart,” Nall told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Now, he’s recruiting me when we’re 1,000 miles apart. It’s funny and ironic. Things came full circle.”
As it would turn out, the former Oregon Ducks head coach who didn’t recruit Nall to Eugene has put his faith in the former Oregon State Beaver as a running back.
On Saturday, Nall signed with Chicago as an undrafted free agent. The organization hired Matt Nagy at its head coach in January and within days he brought on Helfrich as his offensive coordinator, marking his first job since Oregon fired him in November 2016.
Helfrich notably did not recruit the Sandy native and Central Catholic graduate to Oregon after taking over from Chip Kelly as the Ducks’ coach. Ultimately, the coach’s final game before he was fired may go down as the best in Nall’s college career. He scored a career-high four touchdowns while rushing for 155 yards on 31 carries in the pouring rain to end OSU’s eight-year Civil War losing streak.
While it’s unlikely one game had a monumental impact on Chicago’s decision to sign Nall, the link between the two Oregonians in the Windy City has helped ease the surprise and disappointment Nall felt at going undrafted.
Nall said a number of teams he spoke with gauged his interest on changing positions. Nall has remained consistent since declaring for the draft that he wanted to play running back at the next level but would accommodate the team that drafted him if they saw him as a better fit at fullback, H-back or tight end.
Still, Nall said a number of teams told him they would draft him. Nervous while watching the final rounds Saturday with family from his longtime girlfriend’s house in Portland, he began prepping for free agency midway through the seventh round.
“Was it kind of disappointing at times? Sure,” Nall said, “... Multiple teams said they want me and they want to draft me and this and that. So when it doesn’t happen, sure it’s upsetting.”
But Nall said he was glad to go to the Bears even if it meant being undrafted. Instead of being assigned to a team with other notions about his position, he had some choice over where he wanted to go and picked Chicago after they expressed their desire to keep him as a running back, along with special teams work.
“At the end of the day, I got to a place where I can play the position that I want to play,” Nall said.
Questions about Nall’s best fit on the field has been theme of his career dating back to high school. A rare blend of size and breakaway speed, Nall moved between H-back and tight end during his redshirt season at OSU. He moved to running back shortly before the start of the 2015 season due to other injuries.
The previous coaching staff under Gary Andersen considered moving him to linebacker even amid his early success, but he stayed and went on to become the eighth-leading rusher in school history.
Nall could have come back for one more season of eligibility, either at OSU or elsewhere as a graduate transfer. Despite going undrafted, Nall said he looked at every aspect of the process thoroughly, weighed out the pros and cons and made the “right decision” while leaving OSU on good terms.
“If I had to do it again, I would make the same decision,” Nall said.
In addition to questions about his NFL position, Nall also faced a unique situation leading into the NFL Scouting Combine. Focused on finishing his degree during his winter term, Nall split his training for the combine between Portland and Corvallis.
He trained at Nike in Beaverton and StrengthFarm in Southeast Portland from Friday through Monday before driving the 90 minutes back to OSU for class from Tuesday through Thursday, and had to write a 12-page paper two days before going to Indianapolis for the combine.
“My attention wasn’t 100 percent on training. And with that said, my performance level — I reached all of the goals I wanted to,” Nall said. “If I were to do it differently, I would have graduated already. But that wasn’t the case.”
Former Oregon State Beavers RB Ryan Nall prepares for 2018 NFL draft
Nall said he hadn’t thought much about why he went undrafted. Even if the process had the added stress of completing school and ended without hearing his name called, he earned his degree and will report back to Halas Hall next week for the team’s three-day rookie minicamp with the hope of making the 53-man roster.
His first trip to Chicago gave him an initial taste of Giordano’s deep-dish pizza at the recommendation of Oregon State offensive lineman, former roommate and Chicagoland native Yanni Demogerontas.
Nall will now try to beat the odds to earn a roster spot and a chance to play for the former rival whose respect he has worked to earn.
“All you need is a shot,” he said. “And thankfully, I was given my shot.”
Three weeks ago, Ryan Nall spotted one notably familiar face while moving through Halas Hall, the headquarters of the Chicago Bears in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Amid a blur of conversations with the general manager, assistant coaches, scouts and other personnel during a pre-draft team visit, Mark Helfrich emerged.
“When we were talking, he was saying how it’s funny that he could have recruited me when we were 130 miles apart,” Nall told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Now, he’s recruiting me when we’re 1,000 miles apart. It’s funny and ironic. Things came full circle.”
As it would turn out, the former Oregon Ducks head coach who didn’t recruit Nall to Eugene has put his faith in the former Oregon State Beaver as a running back.
On Saturday, Nall signed with Chicago as an undrafted free agent. The organization hired Matt Nagy at its head coach in January and within days he brought on Helfrich as his offensive coordinator, marking his first job since Oregon fired him in November 2016.
Helfrich notably did not recruit the Sandy native and Central Catholic graduate to Oregon after taking over from Chip Kelly as the Ducks’ coach. Ultimately, the coach’s final game before he was fired may go down as the best in Nall’s college career. He scored a career-high four touchdowns while rushing for 155 yards on 31 carries in the pouring rain to end OSU’s eight-year Civil War losing streak.
While it’s unlikely one game had a monumental impact on Chicago’s decision to sign Nall, the link between the two Oregonians in the Windy City has helped ease the surprise and disappointment Nall felt at going undrafted.
Nall said a number of teams he spoke with gauged his interest on changing positions. Nall has remained consistent since declaring for the draft that he wanted to play running back at the next level but would accommodate the team that drafted him if they saw him as a better fit at fullback, H-back or tight end.
Still, Nall said a number of teams told him they would draft him. Nervous while watching the final rounds Saturday with family from his longtime girlfriend’s house in Portland, he began prepping for free agency midway through the seventh round.
“Was it kind of disappointing at times? Sure,” Nall said, “... Multiple teams said they want me and they want to draft me and this and that. So when it doesn’t happen, sure it’s upsetting.”
But Nall said he was glad to go to the Bears even if it meant being undrafted. Instead of being assigned to a team with other notions about his position, he had some choice over where he wanted to go and picked Chicago after they expressed their desire to keep him as a running back, along with special teams work.
“At the end of the day, I got to a place where I can play the position that I want to play,” Nall said.
Questions about Nall’s best fit on the field has been theme of his career dating back to high school. A rare blend of size and breakaway speed, Nall moved between H-back and tight end during his redshirt season at OSU. He moved to running back shortly before the start of the 2015 season due to other injuries.
The previous coaching staff under Gary Andersen considered moving him to linebacker even amid his early success, but he stayed and went on to become the eighth-leading rusher in school history.
Nall could have come back for one more season of eligibility, either at OSU or elsewhere as a graduate transfer. Despite going undrafted, Nall said he looked at every aspect of the process thoroughly, weighed out the pros and cons and made the “right decision” while leaving OSU on good terms.
“If I had to do it again, I would make the same decision,” Nall said.
In addition to questions about his NFL position, Nall also faced a unique situation leading into the NFL Scouting Combine. Focused on finishing his degree during his winter term, Nall split his training for the combine between Portland and Corvallis.
He trained at Nike in Beaverton and StrengthFarm in Southeast Portland from Friday through Monday before driving the 90 minutes back to OSU for class from Tuesday through Thursday, and had to write a 12-page paper two days before going to Indianapolis for the combine.
“My attention wasn’t 100 percent on training. And with that said, my performance level — I reached all of the goals I wanted to,” Nall said. “If I were to do it differently, I would have graduated already. But that wasn’t the case.”
Former Oregon State Beavers RB Ryan Nall prepares for 2018 NFL draft
Nall said he hadn’t thought much about why he went undrafted. Even if the process had the added stress of completing school and ended without hearing his name called, he earned his degree and will report back to Halas Hall next week for the team’s three-day rookie minicamp with the hope of making the 53-man roster.
His first trip to Chicago gave him an initial taste of Giordano’s deep-dish pizza at the recommendation of Oregon State offensive lineman, former roommate and Chicagoland native Yanni Demogerontas.
Nall will now try to beat the odds to earn a roster spot and a chance to play for the former rival whose respect he has worked to earn.
“All you need is a shot,” he said. “And thankfully, I was given my shot.”
