Reported Bears Interest in Darrion Daniels Indicates a Depth Wish

Character still stands for something on a football field, especially during tough times for a team.

The Bears have had several players on their defense whose high character has helped them withstand the rough times of the John Fox era as well as surviving their own current offense. Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan make the top of that list along with nose tackle Eddie Goldman.

Because it still matters, it's probably no surprise they spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine with Nebraska defensive lineman Darrion Daniels. According to Draft Wire's Justin Melo, they also spoke to Daniels via teleconference later.

Projected by many NFL Draft analysts as a late-round pick, Daniels was voted a Cornhuskers team captain and also won the school's Vernon Grant Leadership Award even though he played only one year there after transferring from Oklahoma State. He went there to play for a year with his brother, defensive lineman Damion.

"My intention going to Nebraska was to develop myself as a professional mentally and physically and be there for my brother and help him," Daniels told reporters at the NFL combine. "Because I know talking to a lot of the coaches they were saying 'we're glad you're coming because we need you to light that fire under your brother.' So when I got in that was my priority. I was like, 'I've got to work on myself and get better and I've got to get my brother better.'"

It seemed to not only help his brother, but the entire Nebraska defense.

"Throughout winter conditioning and throughout spring it became a thing for me to push my brother," Daniels said. "Then it went from me pushing my brother to me and twins (Carlos and Khalil Davis, defensive linemen) pushing my brother. Then it went from me and the twins pushing my brother to us pushing the D-line, and then onto the linebacker and DBs.

"And then spring ball comes around and we're not just influencing the defense we're also influencing the offense. I think I brought a contagious feeling to hold your brother accountable. I felt like that's what kind of did it for everybody and everybody trusting me. It was real humbling."

Daniels' influence can't be found in individual statistics. Then again, that's the nature of the position.

"Being a nose guard I was very selfless," Daniels said. "I took on double teams. Even in the pass rush I would much rather penetrate and help somebody else take the sack than me take the sack myself."

A 6-foot-3, 311-pounder, he made 11 tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks for is career. A hand injury at Oklahoma State in 2018 limited Daniels to four appearances and made it possible for him to play a fifth season at another school.

Throughout the missed games with the Cowboys, Daniels realized he could influence players even if he wasn't playing.

"I felt like I had finally accepted my role as a captain on that team," Daniels said. "I kind of felt I was at the peak of my influence. It was challenging, it was tough. I felt like when my team needed me the most I couldn’t be there for them.

"I got through it just by being there for my teammates and being able to go to film with them and being able to be by their side on the sideline and help them out helped me get through that."

The Bears could use someone like Daniels for a few reasons. The main one is because they lost one veteran player of character from the defensive line in free agency, Nick Williams. Williams had bounced around trying to survive in the NFL and then finally had a breakthrough season prior to signing with Detroit.

Daniels isn't exactly in the Williams mold. He's a little more like Goldman as a nose tackle.

The Bears can use a backup who actually is a nose tackle. They've been getting by without one for years, using defensive end types in the 3-4 as Goldman's replacement.

Daniels is the right size to play end or nose in their scheme.

Like Hicks, Daniels has a great reach. This can aid greatly swatting down passes or keeping blockers at bay. He measured in with an 81 3/4-inch wingspan.

Also, Daniels would supply a rookie presence who has seen plenty of different styles of play. He played in the Big 12 and Big 10.

"I've had the best of both worlds," he said. "It's not much I haven't seen. Playing in the Big 12 with the a team like Oklahoma State I've had the opportunity to play ACC teams, SEC teams so I kind of have an idea of different type of talent across the board.

"And then at Nebraska I played some powerhouses. Getting whupped by Ohio State isn't fun but I learned a lot from that game, not just about other offenses but also about myself and what I need to do. I think I got an advantage with all the experience I've had and then taking everything I’ve learned, retaining it and building from it. I'll take it to the NFL and take it from there."

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