Five things you might not know about Bradley Chubb

Bradley Chubb is a Denver Bronco. You know that.

You also know that he’s the highest-rated pass rusher in this draft class and should be an amazing fit at outside linebacker, opposite Von Miller. Who doesn’t?

But here are five things you might not know about the newest Denver Bronco:

He wasn’t a highly-rated recruit

If you saw Chubb walking down the street, packing 270 pounds of muscle on a 6-foot-4-plus frame, you’d probably guess that he was a professional football player. But just a few years ago…

Chubb was just a three-star prospect out of Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. He was fully-grown but about 50 pounds lighter than he is today, making it tough to see his potential as a dominant pass rusher with a game-wrecking combination of strength, speed, and skill.

Chubb primarily played special teams as a freshman outside linebacker, but moved to the defensive line and started his sophomore year. He made 66 tackles, 10.5 for a loss, with five sacks. As a junior, Chubb posted 21 tackles for a loss with 10 sacks, and likely would have been chosen in the first round if he had declared for the draft.

As a senior, Chubb won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and the Bronko Nagurski Award for the nation’s best defensive player, and was named a Consensus All-American. He made 23 tackles for a loss, giving him 54 total, the most in ACC history, to go with ten more sacks. He also has the second highest run-stop percentage among defenders eligible for the draft, according to Pro Football Focus.

He comes from a football family

By now you’ve probably heard that Nick Chubb, the Georgia running back who is projected to be drafted sometime Friday night, is Bradley’s cousin. But did you know that Bradley and his brother Brandon didn’t meet until 2013?

Bradley told ESPN’s Andrea Adelson that he didn’t know of Nick, who lived 50 miles away, until his senior year of high school when his coach asked if he’d heard of the other Chubb. Bradley asked his dad about Nick and learned that they were related: Bradley’s father is the cousin of Nick’s father.

But Bradley and Nick aren’t the only football players in the family. Brandon, Bradley’s brother, was a linebacker at Wake Forest and signed with the Los Angeles Rams the summer before last as an undrafted free agent. He’s competed on a couple practice squads and spent last season on the Lions’ injured reserve list. He’ll compete for a job in Detroit this summer.

Aaron Chubb, Bradley and Brandon’s father, was a linebacker at Georgia and was drafted by the Patriots in the 12th round of the 1989 Draft.

Bradley also went to high school with Giants tight end Evan Engram.

He’s a prankster

Chubb is known for dancing and telling jokes in the locker room. One of his best came last year when new defensive line coach Kevin Patrick showed up for his first day. Patrick was known as a no-nonsense disciplinarian, so, naturally, Chubb had to take action.

According to Sports Illustrated, the star defensive end ran to a dollar store and picked up a pack of Valentine’s Day cards. Inside, he wrote “Can’t wait to meet you! Coach KP,” and put one in each of the defensive linemen’s lockers.

Patrick didn’t find out for another year.

Chubb also made a name for himself by stealing towels tucked into the belts of opposing quarterbacks. In one game against Clemson, he pulled of Kelly Bryant’s towel three times. After the third time, he took the towel, Clemson tackle Tremayne Anchrum, who is also from Powder Springs, stopped him at the line of scrimmage and Bryant took it back.

He’s a masterful flopper

Chubb is best known for his pass-rushing ability, but his acting chops are almost as notable.

He put together one of the best performances of his career against Syracuse this September, sacking the quarterback twice and notching 3.5 tackles for a loss. But the most notable moment of the game came in the third quarter when he tried to pull the ball out of the quarterback’s arms, well after the play was over. When an offensive lineman tried to get Chubb away from the quarterback, he embellished the strength of the shove.

“The extra two rolls were unnecessary,” Chubb told ESPN. “But it’s just having fun.”

He wanted to play with Von

Throughout the draft process, Chubb has told reporters that he’s a hybrid of Von Miller and Khalil Mack, and that the pair of AFC West pass-rushers are among the players he has studied most.

“If I got to play with Von Miller, it would be crazy. He’s such a great player, such a dynamic player, I could definitely learn a lot from him,” Chubb said at the combine. “It just changes the dynamic of the game. You’ve seen the Super Bowl, a sack causes a fumble and ends the game.”

Von seemed excited about the Broncos’ choice in the video he posted on Instagram.