Turns Out Shemar Turner Already Had A Welcome To The NFL Moment

Every player going from college to the pros has it. There is one moment at some point in their first year when they receive a proper wake-up call. It's called a "Welcome to the NFL" moment. Caleb Williams said his came in the first game against Minnesota when he received a nasty hit unlike anything he'd experienced before. It told him the level of competition had spiked far more than expected. He better start putting in the work necessary to deal with it, or the league would swallow him up. Shemar Turner didn't need that long.

The Chicago Bears drafted the Texas A&M defensive lineman late in the 2nd round last month. They saw a player with versatility, power, quickness, and a violent disposition. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen felt the team needed more animals up front. That is why they signed Grady Jarrett in free agency and drafted Turner. That mentality didn't take long to show up in rookie minicamps. However, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, it came with an unexpected price.

But reality soon hit when Turner found himself on the ground during a pass-rush drill after going too fast and losing his footing. The 22-year-old knew he had to rein it in if he wanted to make it through 25 consecutive walk-through reps.

"The walk-through wasn't really a walk-through for me," Turner laughed. "I was going full speed, just excited to be playing ball again."...

..."They [saw] me getting a little winded," Turner said. "They were like, 'Hey, it's a walk-through, temper it down a little bit. We love it, but you've just got to learn how to practice.'"

Shemar Turner is discovering the NFL is about balance.

Yes, the Bears drafted him because they love his talent and mentality as a player. They wouldn't dare do anything to curb his aggressiveness and nasty disposition. However, they also know every player has a finite amount of energy. Learning to manage it both in practice and games is often the difference between getting gassed down the stretch and making the pivotal play late in the 4th quarter. Learning to pace himself is critical to becoming the top player the Bears know Shemar Turner can be. Mastering practice is the first step towards dominating on game days. It is better that he had this welcome to the NFL moment now rather than during a pivotal game against the Packers or Lions.