One of the things that the Chicago Bears offense missed last season was speed, which was something they addressed in drafting wide receiver Darnell Mooney.
The fifth-round pick out of Tulane has the skillset to be a game-changing playmaker for the Bears. Which is why CBS Sports‘ Chris Trapasso dubbed Mooney a key rookie sleeper that could shine for the Bears in 2020.
Mooney was easy to overlook during the pre-draft process. He never caught more than 48 passes in a single season in his collegiate career and stands 5-10 and 176 pounds. But his quarterback play was average at its absolute best at Tulane, which hindered his production a great deal.
If you’re going to be that small in the NFL, you better be fast, and Mooney is. He ran 4.38 at the combine and had 37-inch vertical. On film, he demonstrated awesome concentration when tracking the football down the field and played bigger than his size because of his leaping talents. Allen Robinson is an underrated star in Chicago, and Anthony Miller flashed in his second season, but if Ted Ginn has lot a few steps, Mooney can be the deep-ball specialist for the Bears as a rookie. He’s very polished in that role.
During his four seasons at Tulane, Mooney tallied 2,572 total receiving yards. But it was his junior year that was especially impressive, where he caught 48 receptions for 993 yards — 20.7 yards-per-reception — and eight touchdowns. Mooney accounted for 41.7% of Tulane’s receiving yards during that 2018 season.
Bears receivers coach Mike Furrey has praised Mooney for possessing the kind of speed and agility you can’t coach, which makes him one of the most explosive guys in that room. Mooney’s playmaking speed is something that should help stretch the field for the Bears.
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