
With two potential starting lineup holes to fill along the offensive line after the 2020 season, the Bears would be smart to target an offensive lineman at some point in next year’s draft. However, whichever teams draft a tight end early this year should be able to snag a player who can possibly develop into one of the game’s best at the position.

QUINCY ROCHE NFL DRAFT SCOUT FREE
The Bears would have been unlikely to use a first-round pick on a tight end anyway, so it’s probably for the best that they free up that spot to fill up a premier position. Brevin Jordan also fits a ‘U’ mold, as his burst and long speed, along with his footwork and crispness as a route runner, make him an early-round candidate despite not having top-notch physical attributes. Kyle Pitts is more of a ‘U’ tight end with a skill set similar to that of Broncos 2019 first-round pick Noah Fant-he is a stellar athlete who accelerates well off the snap, makes sharp cuts as a route runner and has top-notch body control.

Pat Freiermuth is a prototypical ‘Y’ tight end prospect who has ideal size, physicality, athleticism and route-running IQ. That won’t be the case for teams in the 2021 draft though, as next year’s class should feature a handful of potentially elite prospects.Īs of this writing, the top-three tight ends in the 2021 class have higher grades than the top tight end on my board from this year’s draft (that player was Brycen Hopkins-Kmet finished just behind him). They hope that he will be the impact starter they’ve desperately needed at the position, and his skill set when compared to a weak tight end class made it enticing for the Bears to secure a top talent while they still could. The Bears selected the prospect most deemed as the best tight end in the 2020 class in Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet. Were the Bears a year too early to take a tight end? That said, it wouldn’t be entirely shocking if they looked at a wide out in the 2021 draft. The rest of the Bears’ receivers room is either unproven or has a capped ceiling. 1 target who hasn’t been locked up yet, and the latter hasn’t proven able to put together a whole season of quality production. Neither are the bigger wide outs, but both are insane athletes who can also run crisp and intelligent routes.Īllen Robinson and Anthony Miller are certainly talented weapons, but the former is a No. Moore missed all but four games in 2019 however, he has averaged nearly 97 receiving yards per game in his collegiate career and was a consensus first-team All-American in 2018 thanks to his stellar acceleration off the snap and ability to make defenders miss after the catch. Waddle’s production has been just okay, but he is a game-breaking speedster whose elusiveness and breakaway athleticism rivals that of former teammate Henry Ruggs III, who ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the Combine. There are two elite athletes who stand out among the crowd from a speed standpoint: Jaylen Waddle and Rondale Moore. Brown who topped 1,000 yards in his true sophomore year. Brown, the younger brother of Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Other productive wide outs include Chris Olave, a fluid and athletic ‘Z’ wide out who scored 12 touchdowns in 2019, and Amon-Ra St.

The former projected as a first-round pick before suffering a spinal injury that will cost him his 2020 season.Īrguably the best route runner in the 2021 class is DeVonta Smith, a polished receiver who exploded with 68 catches, 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns on an Alabama offense that featured several talented weapons. Justyn Ross and Sage Surratt both could be realistic options as ‘X’ wide outs in the second round, as both are coordinated, physical and lengthy wide outs who should translate well to the pros. Another receiver who fits that role would be Rashod Bateman, whose physicality and fluidity could see him selected in the first round next year. He has stellar ball skills, hands and body control and projects well as a true No.

Ja’Marr Chase won the Biletnikoff Award as a true sophomore and was a key role in the explosive LSU offense that won a national championship. While this year’s draft class was stacked on a whole new level, next year’s draft could come very close. Jacob Infante’s Offseason 2021 NFL Draft Top 50 RankĪ record-breaking 13 wide receivers were selected in the first two rounds of the 2020 draft: the most receivers ever taken in the first two rounds of any draft.
