Chicago Bears: 2021 NFL Draft prospects nobody’s talking about (part 2)
Chicago Bears pass-catching prospect
The Chicago Bears draft prospect that nobody is talking about part two will stay on the offensive side of the ball. We will pick back up with the receivers. Allen Robinson signed his franchise tag, and Anthony Miller is on the trade block.
If Riley Ridley, Javon Wims, or newly acquired Marquise Goodwin are the future of this team, you might be mistaken. Nonetheless, we can expect a receiver or two to become acquired by the Chicago Bears this draft season. I would expect one drafted early between day one and two, while another is drafted later on day three.
Those will be who we focus on today. South Alabama had two receivers emerge over the last couple of years. One is Jalen Tolbert, who returned to school to finish out his college career. The other receiver is Kawaan Baker.
Baker has been more consistent over the years than Tolbert but has not had the breakout season that many expected. Baker is listed at 6’0″ and 210 pounds. He plays in the mold similar to how A.J. Brown did in college. The most significant difference is, Brown had a talented quarterback throwing him the ball. Desmon Trotter, Chance Lovertich, Tanner McGee, and Elijah Gainey all had chances to get the coaching staff’s attention at quarterback. All failed.
Even though he had poor quarterback play, Baker managed to average 14 yards per catch and three seasons of 500 receiving yards. Baker had a great pro day where he ripped off a 4.41 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical jump. Baker is coming off a knee injury during the end of his 2020 campaign but still managed to show that he is an electric receiver when the ball is in his hands.
When Baker gets the ball in his hands, he turns into a running back. Backer can make you miss, outrun you, and run you over with his low center of gravity when all else fails. While those are all excellent traits from Baker, he is not a contested-catch player. His route running lacks experience as well. Just imagine a shorter but just as powerful Cordarrelle Patterson.