Chicago Bears 2015 Position Preview: Cornerback
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Sherrick McManis
In his three years with the Bears McManis has only been able to get on the field for 58 defensive snaps under head coaches Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman. Despite a lack of impact on defensive, McManis has been one of the Bears best special teams players the last three seasons. So far in OTAs, McManis has been earning attention from new HC John Fox for his play at corner. Coming out of college, McManis was considered a solid coverage corner with decent size (5’11), good speed (4.52), and great ball skills (7 INTs as a senior). He was a non-factor vs the run in college, but after a few years of excellent special teams play McManis seems to have gotten over his aversion to tackling. McManis is solidly in the mix for snaps at corner this season.
Terrance Mitchell
Was originally drafted by the Cowboys in the 7th round of the 2014 draft, but was released and eventually added to the Bears practice squad last season. Mitchell spent a few weeks on the Bears active roster, but didn’t see the field at all last year. Here is my scouting report on Mitchell before the draft:
Terrance Mitchell Oregon (5’11, 192) – Play-maker for the Ducks, but was inconsistent in coverage, dropped quite a few INTs, and doesn’t have elite speed (4.6). What Mitchell does have is great instincts and with a little improvement of his technique Mitchell could be a solid 3rd or 4th corner in the NFL. 4th round grade.
Jacoby Glenn
Good length (6’0) with the frame to support another 15-20 pounds eventually. A former wide receiver in high school, Glenn has excellent ball skills, fluid hips, changes direction smoothly, closes on the ball with explosion, consistently attacks at the high-point, and catches just about everything within his radius. Glenn has shown a knack for both zone coverage due to natural timing and press coverage with a jarring punch at the line of scrimmage, which makes him an ideal fit for Vic Fangio’s scheme.
I mentioned it a couple times already, but new Bears DC Vic Fangio prefers tall, aggressive corners and he potentially got one in Glenn. He needs to bulk up from 179 pounds, but has ideal length and has the elite ball skills to become a play-maker outside. Glenn was surprisingly effective vs the run (100 tackles in 2 seasons), but it has yet to be seen if he can bring down NFL-sized ball carriers. Either way, the Bears got a potential steal in Glenn after the draft and he could compete for defensive snaps this season.
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Bryce Callahan
Callahan lacks ideal height (5’10), but plays physical in coverage and against the run. He’s very aggressive at the line of scrimmage in press coverage and has the speed and fluid hips to stay with receivers in space as well. Callahan is the type of smart, tough leader that GM Ryan Pace said he will be targeting in the draft. The Bears have a promising slot corner in Demontre Hurst, but Callahan could give him a run for the slot job and worst case provide value in dime packages and on special teams.
Callahan plays much bigger than his size, has excellent ball skills (14 career INTs), and seems to elevate his play against better competition. He has a fluid back pedal, sticky man coverage skills, good short-area quickness, and is a fierce hitter in run support despite his small frame. Callahan was one of my favorite day 3 prospects and I think he will end up being a starting-caliber slot corner early in his NFL career.
The Bears currently have Demontre Hurst at the top of the depth chart in the slot and I am a big fan of Hurst as well, but there isn’t much depth behind him. Tim Jennings has been playing in the slot in OTAs so far and if he stays there it would make it more difficult for Callahan to see the field on Sundays, but Jennings has been playing outside in a cover 2 his whole career so the transition to the slot may not work out.
Adding a player like Callahan to the mix would give the Bears some depth in the slot and a player who can contribute in sub packages when teams line up in 4-5 WR sets. Callahan also has experience returning punts which may give him an edge over other DBs competing for the last corner spot. He will definitely need to make an impact on special teams to earn a roster spot, but with Callahan’s willingness to hit that shouldn’t be a problem.
Qumain Black
Rookie corner from DII East Central University who has decent size (5’11 | 188) and speed (4.51) but is making a massive jump in competition. Black has NFL athleticism as well with a 10’10” broad jump and 35″ vertical. He built up some draft buzz after a solid 2013 season (all-GAC), but struggled a bit as a senior and fell off most draft boards. Black is a long-shot but could stick around at least on the practice squad if he can make an impact on special teams.
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