Few seventh round draft picks have ever come into the league with the hype that Daniel Braverman has. Despite being drafted so late, several draft analysts see Braverman as a very successful NFL slot receiver that has the potential to be one of the best possession receivers in the league. Multiple outlets have compared him to Wes Welker.
If the Bears landed a Welker clone in the seventh round, every Bears fan is going to be dancing in the streets. But are the comparisons fair?
Braverman was second in college football with 109 receptions in 2015 out of Western Michigan and gave both Ohio State and Michigan State fits in September. Braverman nabbed 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown against OSU and caught 13 balls for 109 yards against MSU. His success against several NFL prospects catapulted him into the scouting national spotlight.
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Braverman was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick but fell all the way to the Bears in the seventh round and Ryan Pace was thrilled with landing that type of talent that late in the draft.
Braverman has great hands and the ability to get open but he does have a problem. He’s small- very small. Braverman checked in at 5’10, 177 pounds at the combine and with his skill set, he’s going to spend a lot of time running short routes in the middle of the field. That’s a dangerous place to be for someone of Braverman’s size. There’s no question that injuries and concussions could be a problem for him and the Bears should be careful not to throw him in on 50% of the offensive plays in week one.
So while the hype continues to grow for this little seventh round pick, it would seem that Eddie Royal is just in the way of Braverman’s success. The Bears are on the hook for Royal’s full 2016 salary so releasing him doesn’t make much sense, but at the same time should Braverman jump Royal on the depth chart by week one in Houston?
Not so fast. Royal still has something left to contribute to an NFL team. He’s coming off a miserable year marred by injuries but this is still a player that was Jay Cutler’s favorite target years ago in Denver and can still be a key contributor to the offense if he can stay healthy.
With Braverman in the wings, it’s hard to see Royal on the team past 2016 (his 2017 salary is not guaranteed), but he could be beneficial to both the Bears offense and Braverman this season.
There’s a lot Braverman can learn from Royal. Royal is very good at finding space in the defense and making himself a safe target for quarterbacks. Braverman can spell Royal this season while Royal helps the offense and teaches the rookie. Meanwhile, Braverman can take time to bulk up and gain some weight and hopefully make himself less vulnerable to injury when he’s working the middle of the field.
Braverman has the chance to be an absolute steal as a seventh round pick, but throwing him to NFL defenses could stunt or end his NFL career prematurely. Royal has the chance to help this offense in multiple ways, so let’s not cast him aside and anoint Braverman the next great receiver until he’s ran a few routes at the NFL level. It’s an exciting time for Bears fans, but it’s also important not to get ahead of ourselves. The Bears are in this for the long run, not just for 2016, there’s no need to rush Braverman as the Bears continue to build a future Super Bowl contender.
Bill Zimmerman is an editor and featured writer for FanSided‘s BearGogglesOn. Like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter for more news and interaction.