Americans love underdogs. It’s always been that way. It epitomizes the American dream. Somebody coming from humble beginnings and making a success of himself. For the Chicago Bears, they particularly love it when such things happen for local kids. One of the recent examples was Cameron Meredith. He grew up in the suburbs, went to Illinois State, signed as an undrafted free agent and became their leading receiver in 2016. So one can’t blame them for dipping in the same pool again with Matt Fleming.
Most football fans won’t know the name. That’s understandable. Fleming did his college work at Benedictine, a Division III school. No, most of his fan base hails from the track and field area. This past year he notched a national title for the 4×100 meter relay and also placed second in the long jump. A two-time All-American. However, there isn’t much of a future in track. So he also dabbled in football.
In 2017 he had a strong season with 731 yards and 10 touchdowns on 45 catches. Unsurprisingly he established himself as a deep threat. This athletic background wasn’t enough to get him drafted, but it did earn him a tryout with his hometown Bears. It appears that three-day run of practices wasn’t wasted.
Blessed to be a Chicago Bear💙🧡 to God be the glory 🐻🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/Dn682Td3Sq
— Matt Fleming (@__matt3) May 13, 2018
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Matt Fleming could be the perfect side project for Matt Nagy
One thing head coach Matt Nagy made clear during the minicamps was he would not overlook undrafted and tryout players. Never. That’s no surprise. He understands their plight better than most having been one himself after graduating from Delaware as an undrafted quarterback. He knows that sometimes good players just need an opportunity. It’s little wonder Nagy took a liking to Fleming.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy mentioned Benedictine (IL) WR Matt Fleming as one of the guys who stood out at camp over the last 3 days.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) May 13, 2018
As with many small school players, Fleming got by mostly with his raw athletic gifts at Benedictine. Many of the defenders just couldn’t keep up with the amount of talent he threw at them. Problem is that talent won’t count for much at the NFL level. Everybody is talented there. The key for Fleming will be whether he can make the critical jump from a technical standpoint that is often far too difficult for most.
That means route running, hand fighting, adjustments and setting up defensive backs. The beauty for Fleming is he’s walking into the perfect situation from an instructional standpoint. Wide receivers coach Mike Furrey knows all about the mindset of being an undrafted guy who had to work his way up the ladder. He did so during his own NFL career and had some success.
Not only that but several of the receivers the Bears have added this off-season excel at things where Fleming needs work. Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller are especially proficient at route running. If the kid is smart (and he is) he’ll be following them around from morning to night acting like a sponge for every bit of information he can get his hands on.
It will be a challenge for him to make the roster given its newfound depth, but this could be the perfect sort of 2-3 year project for Nagy to work on with promising long-term results. If nothing else, it’s a great story.
