If things are going to go the way everybody wants in 2020, a big contribution will be needed from the Chicago Bears draft class. Last season that just wasn’t the case. Outside of David Montgomery who was solid most of the year, the Bears got nothing from the rest of their selections. Duke Shelley hardly played. Stephen Denmark stayed on the practice squad all season. Kerrith Whyte was scooped up by the Steelers. Only Riley Ridley saw any significant action and he didn’t even crack 100 yards on the year.
They can’t afford to have that happen a second time. Thankfully it appears at least early on that they might have something cooking with the 2020 class. In the second padded practice of training camp, Bears rookies began to stand out on the field. Two in particular. One is tight end Cole Kmet and the other wide receiver Darnell Mooney.
Kmet showed a strong presence in red zone drills while Mooney delivered some nice catches of his own. Mitch Trubisky is already a big fan of the 5th round pick.
“He’s quick. He gets out of his cuts really well and he’s picking up the offense really quickly. As a quarterback, you love to see a rookie picking up the offense as quick as he is. We’re putting him in different spots, seeing how much he can handle and he’s doing a great job just separating himself and running the routes and being on the quarterback’s timing. And he can fly a little bit as well.”
Chicago Bears draft class needs to grow up fast
The realities of the COVID-19 pandemic made one thing clear. Coaches wouldn’t have time to coddle these rookies. No minicamps, no OTAs, and now no preseason as well. That means training camp is the only time they have to prepare these kids for a 16-game regular season. That is not a lot. To see guys like Kmet and Mooney step up this quickly is quite encouraging. Especially since it’s the offense that needs the most help.
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The one under the most pressure though might be 2nd round cornerback Jaylon Johnson. It looked like coaches wanted to bring him along slow to start camp, limiting his snaps to the second team. Those plans have gone out the window. After already losing Tre Roberson to a broken foot, news broke that veteran Artie Burns tore his ACL in practice. Burns had been running with the first team.
Suddenly the competition at cornerback has fallen to Johnson and third-year man Kevin Toliver. The kid from Utah fancies himself a “baller.” Well it’s time to prove it.