LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Dennis Allen has a long track record of success as a defensive play-caller. His scheme works, and he knows what skill sets are required to execute it well.

The Bears are confident in that, and have given him input on the defensive players he believes can excel in Chicago. Such was the case before free agency last month, and the Bears have done so again heading into next week’s NFL draft.

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“I think it’s been outstanding,” Allen said in a Thursday press conference at Halas Hall. “(General manager) Ryan (Poles) and his group have done a really good job of going through the draft process, going through the draft board, and given our position coaches, myself, given all of us a list of guys that we feel fit what we want to do defensively. We’ve had an opportunity to go in and kind of present our thoughts and ideas to him and his group of guys and personnel. I think the communication’s been outstanding.”

So has Allen’s presence. He has been at several pro days alongside Poles, coach Ben Johnson and Bears scouts. That’s not totally unusual, but it’s another sign that the Bears are allowing Allen to have influence on the players acquired.

Part of Allen’s influence comes from identifying traits and player types. Considering how much the Bears have talked about the importance of fit, that’s part of identifying a Dennis Allen-type of player.

“He wants a very aggressive attacking defense, especially the defensive line, attacking the man in front of you, not so much playing laterally, two-gaping, or even penetrating in gaps,” Johnson said at last month’s NFL Annual Meeting. “It’s really just attacking the offensive lineman in front of you and creating disruption in the run game and also to bubble back into the quarterback’s feet to make it uncomfortable, too. That mentality is definitely going to be there.

“That’s something we’ll get done and we have a lot, and we’ve done it in free agency as well. Speed, speed, speed is another emphasis, both because of man coverage but also just being able to get the ball as fast as possible.”

Allen’s assistants also praised his communication with them during Thursday’s media session with the coaching staff.

“He’s a great defensive mind,” defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett said. “He has proven that over the years. You can check the stats and records and all that. He has been a great communicator, setting expectations for what he’s looking for. I think the mindset of, ‘It’s not all about scheme, it’s about how we play the game,’ is incredibly important.

“That has been huge, in wanting tough players and physical players and players who play with effort and a good temperament, to strike blocks up front. It’s really exciting when the coordinator wants exactly what you want to do.”

There’s another element of Allen’s influence that deals more with Johnson than the players working with him. Allen has six years of NFL head-coaching experience, which can help a first-timer such as Johnson navigate some of the CEO-type elements he doesn’t have experience handling.

Allen is direct and to the point with most everything, and he’ll freely volunteer his knowledge to help the whole.

“It’s really fun to be able to sit in those meetings with him because he knows exactly what he wants from each position,” Johnson said. “He is very detailed. He is very defined. And so I am very encouraged, just the little snapshot that I’ve had with him, with the direction that side of the ball can go.

“On a personal level, we’ve had some great conversations with his head-coaching experience as well. That’s really a great appeal for him being part of this process. He is going to help me navigate some situations where just a little bit more input could be helpful.”