Chicago Bears: Top potential replacements for Allen Robinson
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears’ potential replacements for Allen Robinson: Rashod Bateman
The crop of receivers in this upcoming draft is another incredibly talented one. Obviously, you have guys like Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle who will go within the top 15 picks. But, there’s also another layer of talented wideouts who could find themselves in the later first round, if not early on in the second round.
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One of those guys who could be a first-round talent is Minnesota’s Rashaad Bateman. His counterpart, Tyler Johnson, entered the NFL a year earlier and is now playing with the Super Bowl contending Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This was a difficult year for the Minnesota Gopher football team. Quite honestly, you can throw out most stats for their top players, especially on offense. It’s tough to grade their NFL prospects without realizing that they were not a good football team.
But, Bateman is a special player. Looking at his 2019 campaign, the kid averaged a ridiculous 20.3 yards per catch — on 63 receptions. It’s not like he had a handful of catches. This guy was consistently blowing defenses off the field. That 2019 season saw him top 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Bateman stands 6-foot-2 and looks every bit of the part of a number one receiver. A lot like the aforementioned Golladay, Bateman is excellent at the tough catches. He can go up and get it with the best of them. He’s going to be the featured receiver, eventually, wherever he lands.
Bateman currently projects as a late first-round pick, which would be an interesting selection for the Bears who also need a quarterback and offensive line help.