The 2024 Senior Bowl will provide an opportunity for NFL draft prospects to prove themselves on the largest pre-draft stage. Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand plans on taking full advantage. Bertrand recently spoke exclusively with the Senior Bowl and Draft Network to discuss his motivation for accepting his invitation to compete in Mobile, Alabama.
Bertrand also discussed what he's striving to prove to NFL general managers and scouts in attendance at the Senior Bowl, playing the physical linebacker position, how he’d write his own scouting report, and more. Let's get to know Bertrand better ahead of his journey to the Senior Bowl.
JM: Where were you when you found out about your Senior Bowl invite and what was your initial reaction?
JD Bertrand: I was sitting in my car. We had just finished up at the facility and I was on my way to grab a quick bite to eat. I was super excited. A few of my coaches at Notre Dame had given me a heads-up that I was pretty likely to receive an invite. To finally get it, it felt very rewarding and exciting.
I’m so thankful for the people that helped me along the way. There was excitement, but there was also a sense of thankfulness. I looked back on my career and reflected on the people that helped me along the way.
JM: That sounds so special. What motivated you to accept the Senior Bowl’s offer?
JD Bertrand: One of the biggest motivators was growing up watching the Senior Bowl on television. Honestly, it’s really cool to me. I started religiously watching the Senior Bowl every single year when I was in high school. You dream about participating someday.
I always paid close attention to the top college linebackers. What are they doing well? It felt different from watching the NFL. We’re not yet finished products, but prospects that attend the Senior Bowl are super proficient and successful at the college level. It’s about bridging that gap between average college linebackers and the best of the best.
It was cool for me to grow up analyzing what type of linebacker prospects would get invites. Now, I’m taking part.
JM: You’ve been on an exceptional journey. What are you hoping to prove to NFL general managers, coaching staffs, and scouts in attendance in Mobile?
JD Bertrand: I want to stand out as a football guy. I literally live, breathe, eat, sleep football. That’s what I do every single day. I wake up thinking about football. I go to sleep thinking about football. I’m always running through visualizations of punching the ball out and creating turnovers.
I’m always thinking about playing man coverage or rushing the passer. Some football-related thoughts are always running through my mind. I love it. I have a high football IQ. I want to show that I'm versatile. I can be used all over the field, including every special teams unit. I can play as a linebacker in different situations.
I’m really excited. The Senior Bowl is all about playing football, and that’s what I do well at the end of the day.
JM: We can’t wait to see you out there. How would you describe your skill set in your own words? Self-scout yourself.
JD Bertrand: That’s a great question. I’d say I’m a three-down linebacker, an every-snap guy that pours his heart into every rep. You’re going to get everything out of me every single time I step on the field. That’s how I carry myself. I can run sideline to sideline. I love to run and hit. I can help set up our defense by getting guys in the right position to win games.
JM: Well said. If you had to compare yourself to a current NFL linebacker, who would you choose and why?
JD Bertrand: I’m going to name a non-current player initially. I actually asked my coaches at the end of last season who I reminded them of. There are so many linebackers out there, and I wanted to identify some like-minded guys I could study.
My coaches began thinking of NFL comparisons that look just like me. I specifically asked James Laurinaitis and Al Golden, two pretty well-respected guys. In separate conversations, they both said Sean Lee.
I thought that was crazy. Neither party was aware the other had said Sean Lee. I eventually got in contact with both Sean Lee and Luke Kuechly. I managed to create a relationship with them over the past year. I’ve picked their brains on what made them successful. We talked about how they watched film Monday through Sunday.
I took everything I learned from those conversations and applied it. The long answer to your question is I portray myself in a similar light to Sean Lee.
JM: That’s amazing. Sean Lee was one heck of a pro. You depart Notre Dame with 266 tackles to your name. What is it about your game that allows you to always be around the ball?
JD Bertrand: There’s multiple things that went into that. It all starts with great preparation. I love watching film. I love the nitty grittiness that comes with learning something in the classroom and then trying to apply it on the field.
That’s one of the things that makes football so cool to me. You have to continuously learn. There’s never a time where you can’t learn more. There’s always room for growth. Taking that preparation from the classroom to the field is a big thing.
That’s not all there is to me though. My ability to cover sideline to sideline is really cool. I love running to the ball. No matter where the play is, I pride myself in being the closest to the ball at the end of each snap. If there’s something that ties it all together, I pride myself on finding the ball. I’ve done it well, and I plan to continue doing that at the next level.
JM: At the end of the week, what does a successful Senior Bowl look like for JD Bertrand?
JD Bertrand: It goes back to the impression I plan to leave both on and off the field. Those are the two aspects to the Senior Bowl. I want my football IQ and leadership to be very evident to everyone in attendance. I’m going to lead a bunch of guys that I’ve never been around.
My leadership characteristics, I’m very much a servant leader, somebody that is going to push people. I put in extra work. I want to make sure that every guy is pushing themselves. We want to exit the Senior Bowl with a win.
On the field, I want to showcase my versatility and willingness to compete. I want to play fast from sideline to sideline.
