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The Chicago Bears have one of the most feared defensive players in the NFL in three-time All-Pro Khalil Mack. One who requires special attention and game planning. Sometimes, it can feel like there are two of him on the field. Now, there are actually two Macks on Chicago’s roster.
But Ledarius Mack isn’t at his big brother Khalil’s level yet. For now, he faces the battle of winning a roster spot as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Buffalo.
Ledarius understands that he’s under the watchful eyes of not just coaches but his older brother Khalil, as well. Especially with the two brothers playing the same position.
“He’s gonna be extra hard on me,” Ledarius said. “So I feel like, with practice, I’ve got to be intentional, especially with my technique and fundamentals, very big on that. … He wants to see me practice with good intentions, good habits and that’s pretty much it from that standpoint.
“And practicing with him and seeing him do some things is like, dang, like wow, you see it up close and it’s always fun to see it up close, how he does things, and how he moves and can get around guys. So it’s definitely eye-opening a little bit.”
Ledarius has followed in his older brother’s footsteps. He didn’t play much football in high school before playing pass rusher at Buffalo. They even wore the same number: 52. Also like his big bro, Ledarius is led by a winning mindset.
“All I see in his eyes is he wants to win,” he said. “That’s my mindset as well. Every day I come out here, and my mindset is to win my individual battles. He just wants to win, and so does everybody here. That’s just the mindset, and that’s how we take every day: approach every day with a winning mindset.”
Big brother Khalil has liked what he’s seen so far in training camp. But whether that’s enough to garner a roster spot on a loaded defense, it doesn’t seem likely. Although Ledarius stands a good chance to earn a spot on Chicago’s practice squad so he can keep developing.
“He’s jumping out on film,” Khalil said. “Very explosive. Very explosive. You could tell that he’s talented.
“The thing that’s gonna affect that decision, it’s gonna come down to special teams, how he’ll be used out there or whatever that may be. But all in all, from what I’ve seen, I’m proud of him.
“He likes to make plays and I can only think it’s got something to do with bloodline. I’m not gonna take any credit.”
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