When the Bears drafted Gervon Dexter we heard a lot about his traits. Coaches raved about his size, strength and speed. They weren’t worried about his lack of production at Florida. They graded the flashes of power he displayed and were excited to get him in the building.
Now the Bears have revealed they believe Dexter can get even bigger and stronger.
“We saw a big athlete that has great movement we all believe can make the next step in the NFL,” GM Ryan Poles told Cynthia Frelund in a video published to NFL+.
The Bears believe the key for Dexter to become even more physically imposing is optimizing his how and where he carries his weight.
“We look at lean body mass,” Poles said. “That's how much functional strength that they have. Back in the day, you just looked at the scale. But the scale doesn’t tell the whole story.”
Now teams are privy to reports at the NFL Combine generated by “dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry” or DEXA scans. These scans provide tons of measurements, like bone density, body fat and muscle mass. The Bears say they can also learn where a player holds their mass, which is important as they project future strength development.
“They have a calculation that kind of shows the growth potential of can you add more lean mass and remain a good athlete,” Poles said.
NFL
The Bears say Dexter falls into the category of someone who hasn’t fully optimized his strength yet and has room to grow.
Dexter is already an imposing figure at 6’6” and 312 pounds. When he explodes off the line, he really explodes. If the Bears are able to unlock even more strength from Dexter, he could be a scary force on the interior of the line for years to come.