The Chicago Bears are still likely to take a wide receiver in the 2018 NFL Draft. Who are some mid-round big slot receivers 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 three-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, and jump ball receivers. This post will focus on slot targets.
Equanimeous St, Brown, Notre Dame
Depending on whose draft rankings you read, you can find Equanimeous St. Brown being drafted anywhere between the second and seventh round. While he is not making headlines, he is a polarizing player. Despite apparently maintaining solid health, from 2016 to 2017 saw his yardage drop from 961 to 515 and his touchdowns drop from nine to four. Was DeShone Kizer that big of a loss?
Still, look at his athletic profile. This is what the Chicago Bears want from an NFL player.
One thing to note is that there is no way that St. Brown was playing at 214 pounds during the season. Brown looked way too thin at times on the field. However, the bench press total matching up shows he is a young man who is able to put on weight. His family and their background can speak to his athletic upside.
Still, you never see the physicality from St. Brown on that tape that would be expected from a 214-pound player putting up 20 reps at 225. He does not win in contested catch situations and does not attack the ball in the manner you want from your physical outside receiver.
While the upside to grow into that player is still there, St. Brown is a technician who could thrive as a big-time slot option. In the play highlighted below, you see the feet at work. He may not snatch the ball away from three defenders down the field for 30 yards. However, he can create separation and in tight space use his size as a massive catch radius in the short passing game.
St. Brown is smooth in and out of breaks. Not a lot of big receivers can create separation in short spaces. pic.twitter.com/65EXbOYIMf
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) February 23, 2018
There was a little wiggle after that catch as well. For his size, St. Brown can absolutely move. That is what would make him extremely valuable in the slot. His size as a field stretcher would be dynamic in the Bears offense.
In Chicago Bears Mock Draft 2.0, St. Brown was sitting on the board for the teams first fourth-round pick. His physical upside is there, but the fact that he has the combination of size and technique mastered is a step up from most football players, even in the NFL. It is a high upside bet, and in the right situation, he could thrive.
Daesean Hamilton, Penn State
Daesean Hamilton is most likely the best overall route runner in this class. While he does not wow with you with physical traits, and he can not explode downfield, or win in the air, he has mastered all of the nuance of football down. His ceiling may be peaked, but his floor is solidly defined as a contributing football player.
Coming in over 6′, he is not a prototypical slot receiver, but his ability to get a free release from the slot is paramount to what he brings. What he brings from there is a playmaker who can find himself open in a myriad of situations.
Hamilton can beat press from the slot with so much room to work with. He is able to use quick, precisely timed steps out of his breaks to freeze his defender. Once he gets a defender leaning, he is able to burst out into the open field with plenty of space to run, as shown below.
Hamilton can use this ability to get off of the line of scrimmage clean to create space downfield. He is not a burner, but his fluid movement off of the line gives him a step down the field. From there, he is a nuanced ball tracker as well. In the play below, he is able to work back to the ball and steal the ball away from the Ohio State cornerback.
Again in the play below, Hamilton is able to use his feet to create space towards the sideline. He gets off clean and is able to change speeds to haul in the pass and flip the field.
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Expecting a high upside like St. Brown is too much. However, he is a safer risk than St. Brown and is proven to consistently get off of the ball clean from the slot. He is a more ready to go player who could be drafted to replace a bad outcome from Cameron Meredith negotiations. St. Brown could be looked at as a high upside player who could learn from Meredith and Allen Robinson, as his upside can stretch outside for the Chicago Bears.
Allen Lazard, Iowa State
Lazard came into the combine 13 pounds heavier than Equanimeous St. Brown, and that weight did show on the field. While Lazard is not quite a tight end, he would only be eight pounds off of Trey Burton while standing an inch taller.
Lazard does not have deep speed like St. Brown, or quick feet like Hamilton. However, he has more size than both. Lazard is not a precise route runner but is a smart route runner who is able to find soft spots and sit in zone.
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Lazard was able to consistently attack the middle of the field last season. He was able to find space, and as shown below was able to use his size to form a large catch radius with the ability to make plays down the field.
Lazard would be a player to look into in the fifth round or later. Early in his career, Lazard could be a goal-line threat as the team figures out how much he can bring as a slot player.