Chicago Bears: Pros and Cons of CB Duke Shelley
By Ryan Sikes
Shelley’s size is primarily why he fell so far in the draft. That being said, he does not let that alone limit his abilities on the football field.
New Chicago Bears slot cornerback Duke Shelley is listed at just 5′-9″ and 180 pounds. He is undersized for a slot cornerback, which significantly hurt his draft stock. Both he and new teammate Buster Skrine are listed at the same height, but Skrine has five pounds on Shelley.
Watching his film, I also noticed he had a hard time wrapping up receivers or running backs by himself in some instances. He did enough that slowed the runner down so his teammates could clean it up, but you prefer to see him doing that himself.
I previously mentioned that he does a good job of tracking the receiver with his back to the ball. In the NFL, any contact made in that scenario will often lead to a pass interference penalty. With pass interference plays being reviewable starting this season, I will be curious to see how that impacts Shelley.
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That being said, I see a lot of good things in this kid. I am excited to see him inserted in that Bears defense to see how he does. Rookie minicamps are set to begin this Friday, so we will get our first look at Duke Shelley in a Bears uniform.
What are your thoughts on this draft pick?