When a player is selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, expectations are naturally low. Day-3 picks are usually developmental prospects who spend time as a deep reserve or on the practice squad.
That isn’t the case for wide receiver Darnell Mooney, the Bears’ fifth-round rookie out of Tulane.
Mooney lined up for 21 snaps in Week 1’s victory over the Lions and caught all three of his targets for 38 yards.
Bears coaches were singing his praises on Monday.
“The lights were not too bright for him yesterday, not at all,” Matt Nagy said. “It was very encouraging to see where he’s at.”
Mooney fell in the 2020 draft because of size concerns. His height isn’t the issue (5’11). Instead, it’s his weight. He’s just 175 pounds.
Mooney proved quickly in Week 1 that weight is nothing but a number when you can run the way he does.
“It’s like he’s a 5 year veteran in this league already,” wide receivers coach Mke Furrey told reporters.
The Bears signed veteran Ted Ginn in free agency to provide the passing game with the speed element that was lost when Taylor Gabriel was let go in the offseason. Ginn will have a big role as the season progresses, but it could be Mooney who develops into that speed threat. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash in the run-up to the draft.
It’s only one week, and Mooney will eventually experience the growing pains that come along with being a rookie in the NFL. But for a passing game searching for weapons to emerge alongside Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller, there’s a huge opportunity for Mooney to become a surprisingly productive player in 2020.