The Chicago Bears are still likely to take a wide receiver in the 2018 NFL Draft. Who are some mid-round deep passing game options that the team could look for?
The Chicago Bears addressed receiver early and often during free agency. However, they are unlikely to be completely done at the position. The need has just been pushed down. This is not a top heavy draft at wide receiver, but in the middle rounds there are are a variety of options to pick your poison from. This four-part series will look a couple of receivers with similar skill sets that the team could hit in the middle rounds. We will look at deep threats, big slot receivers, possession players and jump ball receivers. The Bears are in a flexible position in which way they can go. For this edition, we look at deep threats.
Jordan Lasley, UCLA
Lasley is going to fall down some teams draft boards. He has some immaturity issues and was suspended twice in his college career, for possession of alcohol and a fake I.D. However, when on the field, Lasley is a player who can stretch the field. As a junior Lasley averaged over 18 yards per reception and hung onto nine touchdown passes.
As shown in the play below, with a free release, he is tough to catch. it is his ability to change speeds and up his step a gear that makes him so valuable as a deep passing threat.
Lasley also possesses the ability to extend plays with the ball in his hands, as highlighted below.
His athletic profile matches up with his tape, though. Low jump totals and a low bench press do not surprise. He is not the player to win the contested catch in the air.
He is not the player to win a contested catch, period. His hands can be shaky and his ability to beat press is not quite refined. That, combined with his maturity questions should push a playmaking deep threat into the fifth or sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft. At that point, Lasley could be a high upside bet to use his speed and size in a variety of ways. The team would be looking at him as a fourth or fifth wide receiver early on, and they can get him on the field, send him down the field, and see if magic hits. His deep threat ability is worth it to add to the room at that stage.
How does Jordan Lasley fit with Chicago Bears?
Keke Coutee
Keke Coutee came into the combine about four inches and 20 pounds smaller than Jordan Lasley. Still, the two accomplish very similar things on the football field. Coutee averaged over 15 yards per reception over his career and finished with over 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017.
Coutee, like Lasley, has sudden speed his ability to turn up the jets and rush past defenders in the middle of his routes is impressive.
Coutee also possesses great balance and ball tracking, as shown below. He is able to track down the ball to the sidelines, keep his balance and tiptoe into the end zone.
The interesting draw that comes with Coutee is the variety looks he can bring. He can be added in as another gadget player, who can be used for jet sweeps, reverses, and misdirection, like the play below. Coutee is another speedster who strikes fear into teams hearts with the ball in his hands. Not bad for a depth option.
Coutee, like Lasley, is not going to beat press. He is also not going to win the contested passes or in the air. He is best destined to be a deep slot threat with mixed usage. He does not have the size of Lasley but has the variable usage and a clean background. He may be going in the fourth round, but he could be another complimentary piece to help stretch the field.
Related Story: Keke Coutee fit for Chicago bears
Antonio Callaway
If you are turned off by Lasley and his past, Callaway may not be a player for you either. To avoid speculation, NFL.com has his past history summed up as.
"He faced a sexual assault trial between his freshman and sophomore year but was cleared of those charges before the 2016 season by admitting during the hearing he was “so stoned” he did not want to have sex with anyone. He was also cited for marijuana possession in May 2017 as a passenger in a car stopped because the driver wasn’t wearing his seat belt; he pled no contest to possession of paraphernalia in July 2017. Calloway never played in 2017 because of his involvement in a credit card fraud scheme with other teammates. Instead of looking for reinstatement or a transfer, he decided to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft."
Needless to say, he is going to be off of some teams draft boards and could be off of Ryan Pace’s as well. However, Tyreek Hill had an even worse history in his profile, and he did just fine in a Matt Nagy offense. The team would have had to have met with Callaway beforehand, he would have to fall to the point of being value, likely beyond their fourth-round pick.
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However, if that were to happen, there is Tyreek Hill upside. Calloway is a bit bigger framed than Hill but is a burner and a field stretcher in the same way. What is nice about Callaway is his upside. His last play on tape showed a more polished receiver than most in the class. In the play below Callaway is able to win off of the line of scrimmage, and use his quick feet and strength to create space for his slant route. The pass is thrown away from his body, but Callaway is able to fully extend his arms and bring in the pass away from his body. It is a more impressive play than you may think.
But it mainly speaks to his overall polish as a receiver. He is a better route runner than most in the class and is able to sink his hips and sell breaks to get cornerbacks a step behind. When cornerbacks are a step behind, they are done.
You can see in both the play below and the one above that Callaway has to look back, slow his speed down and track the ball. In the play above, a pass thrown too far outside towards the sidelines reduces Callaway to a light jog as he tracks and he hauls in the pass with nowhere to go.
Below, he is able to slow down, haul in the pass, and pick his momentum back up as he hauls it in to continue his race to the end zone.
The question with Callaway is when someone is going to take a chance on him. No one is going to mad that the Bears missed on him. However, if they have faith in his background, and he does turn into the upside he presents and turns his life around, no Bears fans will complain, either.