Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand is a versatile defender in the 2024 NFL Draft. A productive player with a high football IQ, Bertrand should appeal to all 32 general managers. The Fighting Irish standout is a fantastic athlete who exudes leadership qualities.
Bertrand recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network about his training with the Excel Sports Performance team, how he developed natural instincts to make game-changing plays, playing in coverage, and so much more.
JM: You’re training out there in Irvine, California with the Excel Sports Performance team, Curt Truhe and Sazi Guthrie. How have they made you more explosive throughout this process?
JD Bertrand: I think their experience is the biggest thing. They’ve been in this field for so long. They know how to spearhead a program in preparation for the draft. It’s even bigger than that. They have a full understanding of how to prepare you for the next level as well.
I’m out here training right now with 15-20 current NFL players who also train here. The fact that these NFL players come back to train with them during the offseason is a testament to their work and expertise.
They help develop athletes into a more complete holistic football player.
JM: They’re doing outstanding work with you. You leave Notre Dame with 266 career tackles. That’s astounding. You also had 23 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, and six sacks. What is it about your skill set that allows you to always be around the ball?
JD Bertrand: I think it’s a combination of preparation, play speed, and my football IQ. I think all three of those things worked hand in hand to allow me to be a productive player at Notre Dame.
I love being around the football. I feel like I have a natural instinct for making game-changing plays. That instinct comes from those three traits I mentioned, but it also comes from my ability to have a great feel for where the ball is going.
I read and react to the action around me. I’ve developed an innate ability for that throughout my years. It’s been developed, and it’ll continue being developed at the next level. It led to the amount of tackles I had at Notre Dame.
JM: There’s no doubt about that. The nine pass breakups especially stand out to me. Talk to me about how comfortable you are playing in coverage. It’s so important for a linebacker in today’s league.
JD Bertrand: I think I had five pass breakups this season. I’ve gotten better and better in that regard. It was my second season in the same defensive system. I was more comfortable with the scheme than ever before.
It brought a sense of familiarity to the coverage aspect of my game. I better understood the pieces around me. I understood how NFL offenses wanted to attack our defense as well. It was a testament to our defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Coach Golden developed a great defense. Having guys like James Laurinaitis and Max Bullough, two outstanding football minds, as my coaches, has helped me perfect not only my understanding of our defense but how offenses try to attack different coverages.
JM: How did playing in coach Golden’s scheme, being a captain of that defense actually, how did that help get you ready for the next level?
JD Bertrand: I think that’s one of my biggest attributes coming out of college. I’m a step ahead of a lot of other prospects because I played in coach Golden’s system. Playing in a 4-2-5 system, a scheme that a lot of NFL defenses are playing nowadays has gotten me ready for what comes next. You’re seeing that transition to 4-2-5 defenses around the league.
I’ve had three different defensive coordinators. Each one has taught me tips and tricks along the way. We were a Cover 4 defense at one point. These past three years, we played more Cover 1. We’ve installed every coverage known to man throughout our fall camp.
My experiences have given me legitimate familiarity with every defense I’ll see at the next level.
JM: You’ve seen it all. Coach Golden and Coach Freeman, what are the biggest lessons one of them taught you? I’d love to hear what one lesson you’d choose.
JD Bertrand: Wow, that’s tough. Coach Freeman has a saying that always stuck with me. It started as a saying, but we really started buying into it. “It’s just one play, one life.” He’s always believed in that and he instilled it into us.
It’s that constant battle in your head to leave the last play behind, good or bad, and get ready to move on to the next play. It was really cool to be part of that Notre Dame team that really took that motto to heart.
Coach Freeman got a penalty at one point and one of our players said, “Hey coach, one play, one life.” It’s something we all bought into. Coach Freeman said he was wrong and took a step back. We all live by it. We held each other accountable.
Those four words were always communicated across our defense. Taking that lesson with me to the next level would be very helpful.
JM: I love that lesson. Talk to me about growing into a leadership role on this defense. You had to wait your turn behind a bunch of seniors throughout your first two seasons. You hit the ground running in your third year, totaling 101 tackles. You had to casually grow into that role.
JD Bertrand: I was always working towards that. It’s exactly what I envisioned for myself. I knew what the process was going to look like. I knew I’d take advantage and execute when my moment came. I was always finding ways to put in a little bit of extra work.
The Spring Break of my senior year, I actually spent it at Notre Dame trying to learn our defense and become a smarter player. My freshman and sophomore years, I didn’t play much like you said. I was getting used to playing special teams.
It’s funny, after our home games, me and my roommate Isaiah Foskey would jump over the fence and go get some extra work in at our facility (laughs). We weren’t playing much, so we figured we’d get an extra workout in. Our bodies weren’t beaten up from the game, so we had wiggle room to put more work in.
I eventually became a captain. We set a standard for hard work. I remember starting a season 0-2. That was probably my toughest moment at Notre Dame. It’s tough to start a season 0-2. It felt like everything we were working towards was nearly gone. You want to play for Conference Championships and National Championships. It’s tough to do that at 0-2.
We had to push our team. It was a big accompaniment for us to finish that season strong under coach Freeman. We finished 9-4, I believe it was.
JM: What a difference. You helped change the culture. We’ve appreciated your time today. In closing, what kind of impact is JD Bertrand going to make at the next level?
JD Bertrand: The biggest thing is I’m going to come in the same way I came into Notre Dame. I’m ready to work. I can’t wait to push my teammates and help create a winning environment.