When your dad is a two-time Super Bowl champion, expectations can be high once you hit the gridiron yourself.
The football legacy of Wisconsin linebacker Chris Orr is off to a strong start, though.
A complete prospect who excels in every area of the game, Orr recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his football bloodlines, how playing for the Badgers prepared him for NFL success, and what kind of impact he’ll have at the next level.
JM: What’s your favorite part about playing the linebacker position?
CO: I enjoy how smart you have to be to play this position. You’re the glue of the defense. Things happen at a fast pace at this position and you can’t be slow to react. You have the opportunity to play a role in every single snap. Whether it’s pass or a run, you have a role to play. You can make an impact. You might not be involved on a deep ball, but those don’t happen very often. Other than that you’re involved on a snap-by-snap basis. That’s what I love about playing linebacker.
JM: You come from a football family. Your dad played in the league, and won a couple of Super Bowls. Both of your brothers played football, as well. You’ve had a front-row seat to the ups and downs of football. What did you learn from watching what they went through?
CO: First of all, it taught me that hard work pays off. That’s one thing that gets preached to you when you’re a kid, but I had a chance to witness it. I saw them work hard to achieve their dreams. They never stopped working. You’re gonna love this game forever but that doesn’t mean that things are always gonna bounce your way. Things don’t go according to plan sometimes. That’s a lesson that extends beyond football. I’ve had my own experiences with adversity throughout my time playing football.
Seeing my family go through the ups and downs that football can take you through, I was going through some things myself. I feel like I’m prepared for anything.
JM: What do you enjoy more, dropping back into coverage or coming downhill in the run game?
CO: That’s a tough question. I’ll go with coming downhill in the run game. I enjoy people running right at me, trying to run through my face. Let somebody try to run me over. That’s what I enjoy. I enjoy the violence of football to be honest. Dropping back into coverage can be great as well. It’s fun to get your hands on the football in the passing game so that’s a tough decision, but I’ll go with the run game.
JM: Playing at Wisconsin afforded you the opportunity to play against some of the best competition college football has to offer. Who are some of the best players you’ve squared off with?
CO: Wow, that’s tough. I don’t wanna leave anybody out. First and foremost, our own running back Jonathan Taylor. He’s probably the best running back I’ve ever played against or even watched live. He’s the complete package. To top things off, he’s a great teammate and a great friend as well. I have to start with him.
I think that Nate Stanley is a pretty good quarterback. Not enough people talk about him. That might change in the future. Justin Herbert was great. The offensive line lists can go on and on. I tend to group those guys as a unit. My freshmen year in 2015, we played against Alabama in my first collegiate game. They had Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake. I got to see how fast Tony Brown was. That was a big wake-up call for me. That let me know how much more work I had to put in, and I’m still working to this day. Those guys were dominant.
I’ve played against some great people. The Michigan defense was great. I wasn’t necessarily on the field against them but that Michigan defense in 2016 had Taco Charlton, Maurice Hurst and Devin Bush. It’s crazy, Bush is younger than me but he motivated me a lot. We’re pretty similar in size, I’m actually a little bigger than he is but we’re both considered to be undersized linebackers. Watching him play at such a high level as a rookie in the NFL, I can’t help but tip my hat to that guy and feel great about my chances.
Man, this is crazy. I can go on and on. Clayton Thorson was a pretty good quarterback. He went to Northwestern. If I asked anybody to name a single receiver he was throwing the ball to, I’m not sure anybody can do that. For him to put up the numbers that he did and lead them to compete for a Big 12 Championship, that says something about the guy.
J.K. Dobbins is a pretty great running back. I played against Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice during my sophomore year. Tre’Davious White was a great cornerback for LSU and he’s been great in the NFL as well. I’m probably missing some people, but I’ve played against some fantastic talent.
JM: You’ve had so many great teammates throughout your time at Wisconsin, but if you were going into battle tomorrow and could only bring one with you, who would it be and why?
CO: I would bring Mike Caputo, for a few reasons. First off, he’s crazy (laughs). Secondly, he’s one of the smartest football minds I’ve ever been around. I know he’s gonna put his body on the line. That was his game. He put it all on the line every single week. He kinda showed me the way. He made me understand how to lead the Wisconsin program. I’d definitely take him with me. There’s a lot of people I can take with me. I can take any offensive linemen I’ve ever played with (laughs). Jason Erdmann is another guy. He had the strongest punch that I’ve ever felt from an offensive linemen.
Man, that’s such a tough question. I’m taking all of my teammates with me! (laughs). I can’t leave anybody behind. If I can take just one, I’m taking Mike Caputo.
JM: Is there one NFL superstar that you’d love to play against?
CO: Oh yeah, there’s plenty of them. I would love to go up against all of the great up and coming running backs and quarterbacks. I would love to square off with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or DeShaun Watson. All of the young guys that you can tell are gonna be elite for years to come.
I’d love to get another shot at Derrick Henry. Running backs like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott come to mind. Anybody that has greatness in their future, I’d love to play against them. I’d love to test my game against those guys and see where I’m at.
JM: Not a lot of people wanna tackle Derrick Henry.
CO: You’re right (laughs). But hey, it’s football. He’s basically a running back from the 1980’s that’s also really fast. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s literally like a defensive end playing running back.
JM: Why should an NFL team use one of their draft picks on Chris Orr?
CO: I think an NFL team should use one of their draft picks on me because I love the game of football. I know a lot of people say that, but I truly do. You really find out how much you love the game when you have it taken away from you for a little bit. I suffered an ACL injury in my past. When the game was taken away from me, I realized that the thirst and hunger that I have for this game will probably never go away. I’ll probably get into coaching one day. I just love the game of football. They’re gonna get a violent player. They’re gonna get a high energy guy that never takes a play off. It doesn’t matter if my lungs are about to explode. I play the game for more than just myself. I play for the team. I love my teammates. You’re getting a high character guy with a high football I.Q.
I’d be more than blessed if a team were to use a draft pick on me. That would be a dream come true. I would definitely shed some tears.
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