Bears: 7-Round Mock Draft 2.0

Round 4 (#115) – WR KD Cannon, Baylor  (5’11 | 180 | 4.38)

My quest to add weapons to the Bears offense continues with the addition of an elite deep threat in KD Cannon. The Bears need some juice for their passing game and some options for their new quarterback instead of a group of possession receivers who struggle to get open consistently.

Cannon is a first team All-Big 12 selection, who is one of the most dangerous deep threats in college football. Cannon had a catch of 50+ yards in half his games this season and finished the year with a 14 catch, 226 yard, two TD performance in the Cactus Bowl. He’s a legit burner with rumored 40-times in the low 4.3 range.

Cannon’s yards per catch dropped from 17.4 to 14.0 this season, but he was the primary focus of defensive backs and Baylor had plenty of quarterback issues. He still put up 1,215 receiving yards and over doubled his touchdown production from six to 13.

It’s hard to tell how adept Cannon is at running the NFL route tree, since Baylor’s scheme doesn’t require much route variation. He has shown a talent for executing double-moves, which should play well as a deep threat at the next level.

The main question is whether Cannon can handle the intricacies of the receiver position in the NFL. Besides his route running questions, he also isn’t much of a blocker and has the tendency to take plays off if he’s not involved.

Worst case, Cannon will provide a dangerous deep threat but the potential is there for a lot more. He’s shown natural hands with the ability to catch the ball away from his body and at it’s highest point. Cannon’s quick-twitch athleticism and ability to change direction on a dime give him the potential to be an above-average route runner if he’s willing to put in the work.

If there weren’t some legitimate flaws, a player with Cannon’s speed and natural ability wouldn’t be available this late in the draft. It’s a bit of a dice roll, but Cannon would give the Bears an explosive deep threat that they don’t have right now.

He’s currently projected as a fifth-sixth round pick, but Cannon may not even be available in the fourth round if he runs close to a 4.3 at the combine. If he does fall to day three, Cannon is worth the risk for the Bears.