Chicago Bears: Five darkhorse NFL Draft prospects at 20th overall

1. WR Kadarius Toney, Florida

All the attention regarding first-round wide receiver prospects has revolved around Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle. There are a number of ways that the Bears can address wide receiver this offseason. Option one is bringing back Allen Robinson and pairing him with Darnell Mooney. However, if Robinson isn’t back, wide receiver becomes the Bears second biggest need.

For the Bears, at 20th overall, one name to keep an eye on is Florida’s Kadarius Toney, who’s senior season at Florida helped him burst onto the scene. In 2020, Toney had 70 receptions for 984 yards, and 10 touchdowns, averaging 14.1 yards per reception.

What makes him an intriguing fit for the Bears is that Toney’s career at Florida saw him be used as a running back as well. This is best evidenced by looking at his 66 rushing attempts for 580 yards where he averaged 8.8 yards per attempt.

At the next level, Toney will likely be a slot receiver. While his route tree could expand, Toney does most of his damage after the catch. For many, adding a slot receiver in round one doesn’t seem like an ideal scenario, however, Chicago needs to focus on adding as many playmakers as it can in order to ensure that whoever the quarterback is for 2021 at least has some weapons to throw to.