The amount of worst a young athlete puts in to reach the professional level is ridiculous. It’s little wonder guys celebrate whenever they achieve that dream. Especially for those who get drafted. That means they’ve become instant millionaires to varying degrees. Darnell Mooney is one of the latest such examples.
Here’s a kid from Gadsden, Alabama. A town of fewer than 40,000 people. Like many minority families, Mooney grew up in one where money was always a question mark. So in order to give himself the best opportunity, he embraced sports. His success in high school earned him a scholarship at Tulane where he became a star.
That is where he caught the eye of the Chicago Bears.
They drafted him in the 5th round back in April. While it didn’t come with nearly the same fanfare as a top 10 pick would, Moony was undoubtedly thrilled. Why? Well, he’d made it to the NFL for one. However, there was also the little fact that he’d receiver a new contract. One worth just over $3.5 million.
Now usually when a 23-year old kid gets new money like that, they tend to make a big purchase of some kind. Something they’ve been anxious to get for years. Some guys buy a nice car. Others a house for their parents. Mooney? His purchase was a bit more practical and befitting of his unique personality. He told Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com what it was.
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Mooney decided the best use of his first professional paycheck was to reinvest in his career. He bought a JUGS machine so he could keep working on his craft at home.
Other than that, Mooney has avoided flashy purchases.
“I haven’t had a big purchase yet,” said Mooney. “I’ve just been buying stuff for my house, furnishings and whatnot.”
That is equal parts hilarious and inspiring. A reminder of how ridiculously hard this young man works. Video evidence of this machine surfaced on Twitter recently with Mooney putting in work literally inside his living room.
https://twitter.com/DrRisher/status/1321225896800518149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1321225896800518149%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbearswire.usatoday.com%2F2020%2F10%2F29%2Flook-bears-wr-darnell-mooney-has-a-jugs-machine-in-his-living-room%2F
Darnell Mooney is proving his success is no accident
Understand that rookie 5th round picks aren’t supposed to have the level of success Mooney is having this year. Through seven games he has 236 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers don’t even tell the full story either. There are half a dozen instances just in the past few weeks where the Bears missed him wide open down the field. A constant source of frustration for fans.
Mooney isn’t sweating it. He’s also not throwing blame around. When asked about one of those recent misses against Los Angeles, he put the blame on himself for not running fast enough. This for a kid who posted in the 4.3 range at the scouting combine. It’s becoming easier and easier to understand why the Bears liked this kid so much.
His work ethic is right there with anybody.
During the offseason when players weren’t allowed to practice due to COVID-19? Mooney would go to a local field by himself. Then using his phone, he recited the playbook as if he were in the huddle and then execute every single route as if he were playing in an actual game. Pretty remarkable attention to detail.
Can’t say it hasn’t worked for him. He’s the second-best receiver on the roster behind Allen Robinson at this point. Excitement is building around him. Former pro personnel director Louis Riddick called him the spitting image of a young DeSean Jackson. If that’s true, then the Bears may have scored big this year.