Water off Brisker’s back
The Bears got off to an uncomfortable start in welcoming second-round pick Jaquan Brisker to the organization on the night he was drafted when scout Chris Prescott described him as “a Ph.D. — poor, hungry and desperate,” while describing his passion for football.
Brisker responded to that comment when asked about it during his introductory news conference Friday and said he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
“I don’t really let things like that get to me because I’ve already been through a whole lot,” Brisker said. “People say a lot of things. But that’s not really who I am.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover. I’m actually a great person, great football player, and I also graduated from college at Penn State. I overcame a lot of things, but I don’t let little things like that get to me.”
When asked if it offended him, Brisker said no.
“It really just brushed off my shoulders,” he said. “I’m good. I’m fine. It’s time to play football.”
Prescott parted with the Bears after the draft, but it was unclear whether he resigned or was fired. Even if he were dismissed, it’s possible it was part of general manager Ryan Poles’ overhaul of the scouting department. When a new general manager takes over, he typically waits until after the draft to make changes. Poles has not spoken to the media since reworking his staff.
The Bears drafted Brisker at No. 48 overall coming off a strong college career in which he had five interceptions, nine other pass breakups and 151 tackles in 34 games.
Hard to reach
Sixth-round pick Trestan Ebner didn’t get the call when the Bears tried to tell him they were drafting him. When they couldn’t contact Ebner, they called his sister, Tiana, and got through.
“Thank God, right?” Ebner said. “She told my agent, ‘They might as well have picked me. At least my phone worked.’ ”
Ebner, a running back who played at Baylor, is from Henderson, Texas, which is more than two hours southeast of Dallas and has a population just under 14,000.
“I was out in the country, and we had a draft party and my phone — my agent was calling me like, ‘Your phone’s not working ... I called you three times.’ So I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to go outside.’ I’m sitting outside, and my sister runs up to me [with the phone].”
Crowded minicamp
The Bears brought in 69 players for rookie minicamp, which runs for three days. It included their 11 draft picks, 16 undrafted freeagent signees, 36 undrafted rookies in for tryouts and six veterans:
† Wide receiver Chris Finke, who was claimed off waivers from the Chiefs.
† Potential third-string quarterback Ryan Willis, who went undrafted in 2020.
† Cornerback Jayson Stanley, who last played in 2020 for the Seahawks.
† Cornerback Maurice Canady, an almost-28-year-old who played eight games for the Cowboys last season.
† Defensive end Charles Snowden and offensive guard Dieter Eiselen, both of whom were with the Bears last season and are on the 90-man roster.
Tillman talks
Bears great Charles Tillman addressed the rookies when they reported to Halas Hall. He was a standout cornerback for the Bears from 2003 through ’14 and is credited for the “Peanut Punch” technique for trying to pop out a fumble.
“We always practiced the ‘Peanut Punch’ [in college], and then he walked behind us and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s him!’ ” cornerback Kyler Gordon said.
Draft picks sign
The Bears signed more than half their draft class Friday, agreeing to contracts with offensive linemen Braxton Jones, Ja’Tyre Carter and Doug Kramer, as well as punter Trenton Gill, defensive end Dominique Robinson, cornerback Elijah Hicks ✶