Chicago Bears: 5 options to replace Cameron Meredith

Draft Prospect Deon Cain, Clemson

One of the players the Chicago Bears chose to meet with at the NFL Combine was Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain. Cain is another fairly big receiver, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 202 pounds. He turned in a fairly decent performance at the Combine, running a 4.43 40-yard dash, whereas Meredith ran a 4.42 and a 4.45 at his pro day.

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Cain also appears interested in playing for Chicago.  He told Chris Emma of 670 The Score that he feels he would be a great asset to the Bears. He obviously believes he could contribute right away. And why wouldn’t he?

He was extremely productive while at Clemson. He finished his career with 130 receptions, 2,040 yards, and 20 touchdowns. Not only was he productive, but he put up those stats in a variety of ways. Cain also had the luxury of learning behind former Clemson star Mike Williams, which no doubt had an effect on him. He has all the makings of a quality wide receiver.

In fact, if you take a look at Lance Zierlein’s scouting report of Cain, he seems like a perfect fit to step in and fill the hole vacated by Meredith.

"Cain is a classic Clemson receiver with a good combination of size and speed and an underappreciated feel for the position. Cain’s routes are smooth, but also show an understanding of coverage. Cain has the pure speed to attack over the top, but he should be a competitive option on all three levels. His drops are more a function of concentration than ability, but it needs to be improved. Cain has the chance to become a very good NFL starter but is better suited to handle the WR2 rather than a role as the alpha target."

Many want to typecast him as a deep threat only. Of course, Cain has an uncanny ability to get behind the defense. However, he is more than a player who can take the top off a defense. He also has the ability to make people miss once he gets in space. As Erik Lambert calls out below, he also has good vision after the catch.

One potential concern is that Cain did have some off-the-field issues early in his college career. He failed a drug test his freshman year and was sent home prior to Clemson’s semifinal matchup against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.

However, Cain seems to have put that incident behind him and has grown from it. In fact, he bounced back the following year with an impressive five catch, 94-yard performance against Alabama in the 2016 National Championship game.