Sunday, March 24, 2024

Bears Add Freak Weapon At Tight End For Their Offense

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The Chicago Bears draft Adam Shaheen in the second round. Naturally a lot of fans aren’t going to know who he is. That’s okay. He kind of sneaked up draft boards over the past month. Largely due to the fact that he’s coming out of Ashland college, a Division II school. So if he’s good, he has to have dominated his competition at level, right?

In a word, yes. Shaheen was so clearly a man amongst boys. In just two years he had over 1,600 yards and an absurd 26 touchdowns for his team. Defensive backs were afraid every time he caught the ball because not only is he fast for his size, but that bulk is hard to bring down when the weight differentials are so severe.

Keep this in mind. Shaheen was also a basketball player. Ryan Pace saw the same traits in a young man named Jimmy Graham when he was with the Saints a few years back. Clearly he sees the same possibilities here.

Bears draft Adam Shaheen for their QB of the future

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Here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, their resident draft expert had to say about the young man. Apparently he’s pretty good.

“Big, fast and athletic, Shaheen will immediately interest teams who are looking for size and traits. He’s a poorer blocker than what might be expected for a player with his frame, but he’s also a much more dangerous pass catching target. The jump in competition will be substantial and teams will expect him to become a more consistent blocker, but he’s a pass catching tight end in a Y-tight end’s body. Shaheen has starting potential with an ability to impact a passing game early in his career.”

Understand something here. Shaheen is 6’6″ and 278 lbs. That’s really big and yet upon watching the tape it’s clear enough he’s really fast for a man his size. He presents a big target who is dangerous after the catch. This is music to the ears for a young quarterback. After all, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Now that the Bears have Mitch Trubisky, it’s common sense that they’d start focusing more on building up the offense.

Their tight end position was atrocious going into the draft. Zach Miller is old and coming off another season-ending injury. Dion Sims is more of a blocker than a pass catcher. The rest are unproven former undrafted free agents. Shaheen, with a little work has a chance to become a legitimate go-to weapon in this offense.

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