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Rookie Expectations: John Franklin

By Bill Zimmerman

BOCA RATON, FL - DECEMBER 02: John Franklin III #12 of the Florida Atlantic Owls scores a touchdown during the first half of the Conference USA Championship game against the North Texas Mean Green at FAU Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FL - DECEMBER 02: John Franklin III #12 of the Florida Atlantic Owls scores a touchdown during the first half of the Conference USA Championship game against the North Texas Mean Green at FAU Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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John Franklin is a name that fans of the show “Last Chance U” will know. But can the “reality star” make the Bears?

For fans of the Netflix show “Last Chance U,” the name John Franklin rings a bell. Franklin was a quarterback at Florida State before transferring to East Mississippi Community College. Franklin spent a year there, which coincided with the first season of Last Chance U. After that season, Franklin transferred to Auburn where he spent a season as a backup quarterback before transferring again, this time to Florida Atlantic where he played wide receiver. The Chicago Bears have signed Franklin after a tryout at rookie minicamp and he will attempt to make the team as a defensive back and/or kick returner.

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The fact that Franklin has bounced around to multiple programs and played multiple positions quite simply means that the Bears are looking at him as a developmental player. The bottom line with Franklin is that he is lightning fast. Franklin’s 40 has been timed between 4.22 and 4.28 and he has shown tremendous ability to make tacklers miss when he’s given the right spacing. That could come in handy as a return man, but there’s no tape on Franklin the defensive back because he’s switching to that position for the first time in camp. What’s in store for Franklin? Check it out.

Best-Case Scenario

Franklin shows some dynamic ability as a returner. He even scores a touchdown in a preseason game. His technique is rough as a defensive back as he learns the position. His speed helps him make up from the lack of technique but he shows he’s not anywhere ready for the 53-man roster. Franklin shows he’s coachable as a defensive back and his technique steadily improves. The Bears are impressed with his improvement over a couple of months so they do decide to keep him on the practice squad. Franklin spends the entire season on that unit and doesn’t reach the 53-man roster this season.

Worst-Case Scenario

Franklin shows that beyond speed, he doesn’t offer much else to the team. He struggles developing as a defensive back so much so that the Bears even let him play wide receiver a little in August to see if he’s better at that position. That doesn’t help the situation either. Franklin is one of the first cuts the Bears make and he spends time in either the Arena League or the CFL and never makes it in the NFL.

Odds Are

Franklin’s speed is jaw-dropping. He has Chris Johnson-type speed and the Bears give him every opportunity to show what he can do. He struggles with his technique and while he shows some improvement, he shows that he isn’t quite ready to play defensive back at the NFL level. The Bears hope that perhaps Franklin has more potential as a return man and his speed and elusiveness shows that he may have a future at that position. The Bears, already comfortable with guys like Tarik Cohen and Eddie Jackson that can potentially return kicks and punts, decide that he doesn’t have a spot on the roster. They release him and don’t offer him a practice squad spot. A team with worse return options and more roster flexibility give Franklin a spot on their practice squad where he spends all or most of the 2018 season. Franklin enters 2019 as a free agent and will sign on with another NFL team as part of their 90-man camp roster and will try again next season.

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