Chicago Bears Training Camp: 5 recent standout players
By Ryan Heckman
Linebacker Elijah Norris
Who is Elijah Norris? That’s exactly what many of us in attendance for training camp have found ourselves asking. Norris is an undrafted rookie out of Shepherd University. The 24-year-old is part of the linebacker group and is playing on the outside at the moment.
Right now, several players are getting an opportunity to open some eyes at the outside linebacker position. Obviously, Aaron Lynch has been banged up and most of us are wondering what exactly is going on opposite of Leonard Floyd.
#Bears UDFA Elijah Norris is a player I’d keep an eye on. Explosive pass rusher, surprisingly nimble, great change of direction, amazing pad level, knows how to shed blocks with his hands, beast vs. run. I will talk about him and the whole Bears pass rush in tomorrow’s podcast. pic.twitter.com/VmSWacHXwq
— Flo Ottis (@flo_ottis) June 28, 2018
To me, Norris looked the part, especially in Thursday’s practice. He was exactly as Mr. Ottis described in the above tweet. Norris was incredibly explosive and surprisingly quick. There were a few drills where linebackers went one on one with running backs, trying to get to the quarterback, and Norris won his matchup every single time in Thursday’s action.
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For comparison, Tarik Cohen had a nice stuff against Nick Kwiatkoski. Some of the running backs certainly did hold their own against the linebackers at times. Norris, though, won every matchup during the drill in that particular practice.
If Norris continues this level of intensity, he’s going to give some stiff competition to guys like Isaiah Irving and another guy I’ll mention later on this list. It would be something special to see him somehow make this roster, but I don’t see it happening. For now, he’s a potential practice squad candidate.