Chicago Bears Rookie Stock Watch: Darnell Mooney
The stock of Chicago Bears rookie Darnell Mooney has been trending one direction
One of the biggest winners of Chicago Bears training camp-whether it be rookie or not-has been Darnell Mooney. The fifth-round pick from Tulane had a huge learning curve to overcome and has not been at the team facility until just a month ago.
Still, despite being fast-tracked onto the field as a rookie, there has been nothing but glowing reviews of Darnell Mooney. Matt Nagy praised his work ethic and compared it to Allen Robinson.
One thing that makes this worth noting is that Nagy has also openly questioned Anthony Miler, and his maturity and commitment at times last season. He called him out for not being on the same page with Mitch Trubisky last season. So, to hear Nagy go out of his way to praise Mooney is contrast can speak to how impressed he is.
Mooney also has made a few showcase plays. His combination of work ethic, raw speed, and wow plays have bumped his stock in a huge way.
Overall, Mooney profiles as a player similar to Taylor Gabriel. The Bears signed Ted Ginn and drafted Mooney and both are leaders in the clubhouse to replace Gabriel. This likely means that Javon Wims and Riley Ridley stay in similar roles as last season. However, it also means that when Mooney is ready to see an NFL field, he will be knocking the veteran Ginn off of the field.
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The progression of Mooney, the praise from coaches, and the way that they have prepared for him to step into a role more than Wims and Ridley shows their commitment to Mooney and how they view his ceiling compared to these other two. They like the other two as depth receivers, but they see something special in Mooney.