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Top 10 Sleeper Wide Receivers For The Bears In The 2016 NFL Draft

By Johnny Hatelak

Sep 6, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Southeast Missouri State Redhawks wide receiver Paul McRoberts (1) catches a pass for a touchdown against Kansas Jayhawks cornerback JaCorey Shepherd (24) and safety Isaiah Johnson (5) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Kansas won the game 34-28. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 6, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Southeast Missouri State Redhawks wide receiver Paul McRoberts (1) catches a pass for a touchdown against Kansas Jayhawks cornerback JaCorey Shepherd (24) and safety Isaiah Johnson (5) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Kansas won the game 34-28. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Mitch Mathews (10) Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Mitch Mathews (10) Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /


PLAYER OVERVIEW:

Mitch Mathews-BYU-  Mitch Mathews put himself on the draft map with one of the more impressive pro days of any prospect in this draft. He also was voted to the ALL-Independent first team, and was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. Mathews finished off his BYU career in style by catching the last pass of his college career for a game winning catch on a 42 yard strike.

MEASUREABLES AND PRODUCTION:

Eye opening pro day for the big wide-out from Brigham Young.  Made scouts scramble to find more tape and see if these numbers translate on the football field. Showed smooth footwork and the ability to sink his hips in drills to run crisp routes which is pretty impressive for a man the size of an NBA wing player. As a matter of fact he was a wing player for BYU. Here are his measureables. As for production he put up some good numbers. 9 TD’s his junior season 11 his senior season. You can see the rest here.

SCOUTING REPORT:

Positives: Tall with huge hands and long arms for a monster catch radius. Red zone target from day one. Has decent speed, but nothing spectacular. However does not need it. Gets good positioning and out jumps everyone with his length, and leaping ability. Doesn’t hurt he was a basketball player too. He has very solid hands, and plucks passes away from his body. Great body control in the air, and very good feet for a man his height. He’s also very intelligent to go along with a strong work ethic which should help him pick things up fast.

Negatives: had a real problem getting off press. Against Michigan, Missouri and Utah (some real physical teams) he struggled with only 6 catches for 32 yards total against those teams. He has to develop the core strength to fend off receivers, and use his hands better off the line to get into his routes quicker. This can be taught, and strength can be acquired over time. However this alone probably puts him on the undrafted list and starts out his career on someone’s practice squad unless he balls out on special teams. Also doesn’t have blazing speed which is not that big of a deal to me, but will certainly grade against him on draft boards. Probably will be a priority free agent, but can pay big dividends down the road as an offensive mis-match and touchdown machine in the red zone. Who’s going to out jump this guy?

Next: Wide Receiver Sleeper # 1

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