Chicago Bears: Profile and Interview of Draft Target CB Isaac Yiadom

The 2018 NFL Draft cornerback class is deep.  However, Yiadom has not been getting the press he deserves.  The more tape you watch of him, the more you come away impressed with his game.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with Isaac about his game, preparation for the draft and the possibility of becoming a Chicago Bear.

DaWindyCity (DWC): You grew up in Worcester, MA about an hour from Boston College.  What was it like playing so close to home?

Isaac Yiadom (IY): It was great for my family.  They can all come out and see me when I have a home game.  Everyone from Worcester knows what a great school Boston College is and what a great opportunity it is to be able to play football and have your degree from there.

DWC: What are you going to miss the most about your time at Boston College?

IY: I  loved it there.  If I could go back I wouldn’t change a thing.  I’ll miss the memories I created with my teammates over the last four years.  I was really close to all my teammates.  I’ll miss being in that locker room.  The DBs are all really close.  I think that’s what makes us really good as a unit.  We all hold each other to a really high standard and are like brothers on and off the field.  No one ever takes anything too personal.

DWC: Who was the toughest wide receiver you covered in college?

IY: Mike Williams.  Two years ago everyone saw him in the National Championship game against Alabama and what he did to their corners.  He’s a great receiver.  He uses his size to his advantage.  He has strong hands and makes plays on the ball.  You have to bring your “A-game” when you play him.

DWC: Can you talk a little bit about your preparations for the NFL Draft?  What has the process been like?

IY: It’s been a long road.  I trained in California with some other guys that went to the combine.  Then I went to the Senior Bowl which was a great experience.  I made a bunch of plays during the practices and in the games.  I also got a chance to go to the combine.  Now I’m just back in Boston working out.

DWC: Have you had any conversations or meetings with anyone from the Chicago Bears?  What have they been saying?

IY: I had a couple of workouts already and have three more coming up.  I haven’t had any conversations with the Bears.  I’ve talked to a couple scouts but haven’t had a workout or anything.  So far I’ve worked out with the Saints and the Texans.  I also have workouts with the Titans, Falcons, and 49ers coming up.

DWC: What was your Senior Bowl experience like?  What did you learn from that experience?

IY: It was huge.  I’m thankful I got an invite to the Senior Bowl.  It helped me a lot.  I got a chance to prove to a lot of people that I could compete with some of the best players in college football.   Just being able to be coached by the Broncos staff was a great opportunity.  I learned a bunch of new stuff.  The NFL is really different from college.  It was great to see how everything moves at the next level.  The best advice I got was to keep working no matter what happens and where you get drafted.  You can’t feel like you’ve arrived.  You have to keep working because the draft is just the beginning.

DWC: What are some of your strengths?  What do you think you need to improve upon?

IY: I think I play press coverage really well.  The one thing I think I’ve been working on and will continue to work on is tracking the ball with my eyes and making more plays on the ball.  We played a lot of press coverage in college.  Most of our man coverage was press.

DWC: You had a great game last season against Clemson.  Tell me about that.

IY: That was one of my better games of the year.  We game planned a lot on them.  We’ve been playing them so long.  We played them hard.  I studied them so hard all week and felt like I knew every single play that was coming.  It made the game a lot easier and I felt like I took advantage of it.

DWC: Talk about your preparation leading up to gameday?  What do you do to get ready for a particular opponent?

IY: I study tendencies, formations, plays they run out of certain formations, and how often they do certain things.  I track down and distances.  In college, a lot of offenses don’t run too many different things.  They just disguise it really well and do one thing really well.  I try to keep getting better by evaluating and watching film.  I like watching film a lot.  Once I started to really watch it and take advantage of my opponents when I saw stuff on film it helped me a lot.  It’s like having the answers to the test.

DWC: What do you think separates you from other defensive backs in this draft?

IY: I’m really tough.  I’ve been coached up more than anyone else.  Everyone knows how hard our entire unit is coached at BC.  Our DBs coach, Anthony Campanile holds us to such a high standard.  We also hold each other to a high standard and make sure we never make the same mistake twice.  It’s not ok to get the ball thrown over your head.  I go into the game knowing that nobody is tougher than us and that’s the same attitude I’m going to take with me to the next level.

DWC: What’s the most important skill a cornerback needs to be successful?

IY: Mentally, I think confidence is number one.  DBs get beat and you have to get over it.  You have to have confidence.  You also have to have good technique.  Some guys might not be the fastest, but the corners with good technique last the longest in the league.

DWC: What are your plans for the night of the draft?

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IY: I’m going to be hanging out at home with my family in Worcester waiting for my name to be called.

DWC: Is there a current NFL cornerback that you think your game is similar to?

IY: I don’t think there’s anyone I think I’m similar to.  But someone I watch and whose technique I think is really good would be Jalen Ramsey.  He was always good in college and now in the pros, but he has great technique.  I feel like his technique is almost as good as it gets.  He also has that confidence I was talking about earlier.

DWC: If you could talk to all 32 NFL general managers, what would you want them to know about you?

IY: I want them to know how hard of a worker I am.  And how hard I play on the football field.  I won’t let them down because the team always comes first.  The most important thing to me is competing and winning.  I won’t let anyone be tougher than me on that field.  It would be worth every single cent to draft me.

DWC: I know he’s a Hokie, but what are your thoughts about the possibility of lining up opposite of Kyle Fuller for the Bears next season?

IY: He’s legit and I would not mind that at all.  I would love that.  And Chicago is a great place.  I actually went there for the first time last summer and I loved it.  It’s definitely one of the top 3 cities in the country.

Next: Who's the best edge prospect fit for the Bears?

Bottom Line

The Chicago Bears would be wise to keep an eye on Isaac Yiadom as the draft approaches.  He has the measurables that Vic Fangio looks for in a defensive back.  In addition, he has the intangibles that general managers covet and teammates embrace.  Perhaps the city of Chicago will be embracing him soon as well.