Why Darnell Mooney is a great draft pick for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears added much-needed help to their wide receiver corps with their most recent NFL Draft selection of Darnell Mooney.
With the No. 173 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears addressed a position of need with the selection of Darnell Mooney of Tulane University. While at first blush, it may not seem like a need, make no mistake about it — the Bears desperately needed to add to their wide receiver corps.
Once you delve deeper into the Bears’ current situation at the position, the reasons why this is a need comes into focus. Sure they have Allen Robinson, but he is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Although both sides seem to want an extension, that has not materialized yet. Javon Wims showed some promise but did not blossom last year the way some had thought he might. Anthony Miller continues to deal with a shoulder injury that has a high reoccurrence rate, and Riley Ridley hardly saw the field last season. The team also lost their burner/deep threat when they let Taylor Gabriel go this offseason.
As you can see, while there is a lot of talent amongst the group, there are few reliable options at this point, which is why the team needed to add another playmaker to the mix. In steps Mooney who brings the speed to be the receiver the Bears need to take the top off the defense, essentially replacing what they lost in Gabriel.
Mooney ran a blistering 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and fits the profile of a Ryan Pace draft pick in the sense that he is an elite athlete, which Pace seems to favor. Mooney is a big-play threat who is a perfect complement to some of the bigger-bodied receivers the Bears have.
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After spending the majority of their first four picks on defense, the Bears needed to address the offensive side of the ball and give Nagy another threat to stretch the field. It appears they have done that even if they had to trade up to make it happen. At the end of the day, the offense needed playmakers and they got one.