After adding to wide receiver in free agency, how much do the Chicago Bears still need a wide receiver? Is Keke Coutee a mid round possibility?
Keke Coutee slowly worked his way onto the field at Texas Tech. He rarely played as a freshman then put up 890 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. Coulee exploded onto the scene as a junior by putting up 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and ten touchdowns. It was enough to earn second team All-Big 12 honors. It was also enough for him to decide to declare for the NFL draft. With all of the free agents signed this offseason, is Keke Coutee a possibility for them in the mid rounds?
Measurables
Age: 21
School: Texas Tech
Strengths
Keke Coutee wins with speed. He can stretch the field and can put work in with the ball in his hands. He is explosive from the slot and is able to change gears quickly to blow by defenders.
Coutee also has great ball tracking skills, which goes great with his ability to change speeds so fluidly. He is better than anticipated at contested catches due to his ball tracking ability.
What is nice about Coutee is that he not necessarily a one-trick pony. He is able to get himself open underneath, and is able to create after the catch with the ball in his hands. Like the play below, he can be schemed open in the short passing game. He shows tremendous balance, vision and elusiveness out in open field as he picks up a first down. Keke Coutee was also used out of the backfield in the passing game, and in motion in reverses and sweeps.
Coutee also has the quick feet and change of direction ability to get himself open in the short passing game. With space, he can work. He is able to cut hard, creating space to the inside. The corner is forced to recover quickly, and when he sells out inside, Coutee is free with plenty of space and an angle to the outside on his cornerback.
Weakness
Keke Coutee is not going to win on the outside. He is going to struggle against press and bigger cornerback. When he gets space, he can work. However, if he is jammed off of the line of scrimmage, he is going to be limited.
He also can win contested catches with balance and ball tracking, but can lose due to physicality. He has drops when he is hit from behind, and needs to improve his playing strength overall.
Fit for Chicago Bears
Yes, the Chicago Bears brought in some new names at wide receiver. No, the team is not done adding to the position. However, they should be looking to the middle tier wide receiver than looking at some top tier talent that will be gone in the first two rounds.
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Keke Coutee fits into what the Bears are looking for. He has a specific skill set and he knows how to use it to exploit his competition. Coutee can return kicks early into his career, can be used in specific packages to get the ball in his hands, and from the slot, he can take the top off.
A lot of people see Taylor Gabriel as a slot option, but he spent most of his career in the slot. He is a strong option with the ball in his hands. Allen Robinson has a great catch radius, but is a bit more of a possession receiver than a field stretcher. Cameron Meredith is visiting teams and is not currently signed. If the team can add a field stretcher