Telepeer

UCLA football inspired by Bruins in the NFL draft

April 29, 2023

LOS ANGELES — As UCLA football alumni are answering phone calls during the NFL draft, current players are doing whatever they can to put themselves in that same position.

Zach Charbonnet, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Antonio Mafi and Jon Gaines II were each selected in the NFL draft Friday or Saturday. As spring football practice continues in Westwood, players use draft updates as reason for celebration as well as motivation.

“I get the chills for them,” Bruins linebacker Kain Medrano said. “They’re for sure role models to me because that’s where I want to be. Just seeing Zach and all the hard work he put in; he was here grinding every single day, and just shows you what it takes to get to that level.”

Charbonnet was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round as the No. 52 overall pick Friday. Gaines was picked in the fourth round Saturday, followed by Thompson-Robinson and Antonio Mafi in the fifth round.

The Bruins have the opportunity to not only learn from the habits of former teammates who made it to the NFL, but also from coaches with NFL experience.

Medrano said working with inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. is energizing physically and mentally. Norton was the linebackers coach as well as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, winning a Super Bowl with the team in 2013. He also served as defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders from 2015-2017.

“The confidence that he brings and gives off, that just comes right into our group,” Medrano said. “We get a lot of confidence and he’s yelling, screaming. That energy that he brings every day just helps us accelerate practice.”

Norton is an orchestra of demanding yet motivational coaching phrases during practices (on Saturday morning, “hit with a punch” was a favorite). The dry-erase board in the linebacker meeting room is lined with Norton-isms.

Each phrase is connected to an instruction for the linebackers. So when Norton yells “linebackers 100,” his position group knows what to do. Players learn from him how to balance the chaos of being a linebacker with the intelligence on and off the field.

“You want to be in (meetings),” linebacker Choè Bryant-Strother said. “That’s one thing I can really appreciate about Coach Norton. When you walk into that meeting room … you know you’re going to learn something that you’ve never even thought about before because Coach Norton just has so much experience and so much knowledge about the game.”

Tired but ‘lit’

The defense has had a recurring saying throughout spring practices:

“The more tired we get, the more lit we get,” Bryant-Strother said. “When we get tired, that’s when we want to play our best. So the louder we get, just know we’re coming.”

The last 11-on-11 live period of practice Saturday was certainly the most “lit.” The defense forced a false start from the offense on the first play of the period. Defensive back Alex Johnson broke up a pass early on and multiple players broke through to get to the quarterback.

Defensive end Laiatu Latu broke up a pass toward the end of the period and linebacker Jalen Woods hauled in an interception.

Officials were on hand to monitor plays and hand out penalties when necessary, but the Bruins were also playing by Chip Kelly rules. The head coach lightheartedly doled out a 15-yard penalty to the offense for complaining and issued multiple sideline warnings.

“It’s about how we respond to everything,” Medrano said. “Some of that is to try and get us prepared because some of those calls are gonna come in the game … and we can’t react with emotion. We can’t let emotion play with us.”

College Sports |

NFL draft: UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jon Gaines II picked on Day 3

College Sports |

NFL draft: UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet selected by Seahawks in 2nd round

College Sports |

UCLA quarterbacks thriving on the field and in virtual reality

College Sports |

NFL draft: Which UCLA players might get picked and when

College Sports |

UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson awaits NFL draft, future

Orange County Register