Senior Bowl practices<\/a>, Kennard has been working on improving his hand usage while developing more inside counter moves, both areas where he knows he can continue to improve even in the NFL.<\/p>\nOne of the most exciting parts of Senior Bowl week has been the chance for Kennard to learn from NFL coaches and see how a pro defense operates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s actually been pretty cool to learn NFL terminology and the way they teach defense,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of the concepts are the same, but the language is different. The way we called things at South Carolina isn\u2019t the way they call it in the NFL, so adjusting to that has been fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mental adaptability will be crucial as he transitions to the league.<\/p>\n
Kennard prides himself on being a complete edge defender, not just a sack artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cSacks are obviously important,\u201d he said. \u201cBut playing the run and disrupting the offense as a whole is just as big.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the biggest plays he described during our conversation wasn\u2019t a sack\u2014it was a tackle for loss on a run play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what makes a complete player,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cThe best guys aren\u2019t just sack-chasers. They disrupt everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
That ability to impact the game in multiple ways makes Kennard valuable in the NFL, where defenses need three-down pass rushers who can set the edge against the run and even occasionally drop into coverage.<\/p>\n
While at Georgia Tech and South Carolina, Kennard played alongside Keion White, now with the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my brother,\u201d Kennard said of White. \u201cHe\u2019s even-keeled, man. Same guy, whether he\u2019s having a great game or a bad game. Definitely like a big brother to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two still keep in touch, and Kennard recently asked White about his Senior Bowl experience and what to expect in the pre-draft process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked the other day about the Senior Bowl, how he handled it, what he focused on,\u201d Kennard said.<\/p>\n
Kennard is open to any team and will bring the same mentality that\u2019s gotten him this far to any team he joins.<\/p>\n
Kennard has enjoyed facing off against some of the best linemen in the country at the Senior Bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a good week,\u201d he said. \u201cToday was better than yesterday, just because I got more reps. But I feel like I\u2019ve been improving every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
That growth mindset is what will help him continue to develop into an NFL-caliber pass rusher.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s learning from elite pros or studying offensive linemen to gain an edge, Kennard is ready for what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Read More<\/a> Efram Geller<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 6-5, 254 pounds, Kennard has a Madden create-a-player build that NFL teams look for in an edge rusher. But it\u2019s Kennard\u2019s football IQ, dedication to film study, and motor that led to his Nagurski Award-winning season. Kennard\u2019s success as a pass rusher isn\u2019t only a result of his speed and power skills. It\u2019s about<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":825797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790,22316,683],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-825796","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"category-interview","9":"category-south"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}