Chicago Bears add more offense with these two draft picks

The Chicago Bears go offense again as they draft Dazz Newsome in the sixth

The Chicago Bears needed a wide receiver and although they did not get any of the main guys I wanted in the mid-to-late rounds, landing Dazz Newsome was not a bad pick at all for this team. Newsome is not the fastest receiver out there and that’s why he fell this far in the draft. He ran a very slow (for receivers) 4.64 40-yard dash and his workout metrics are not good.

He must play faster than he does workout though as he was good enough to return some punts for North Carolina in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Newsome returned 19 punts for 286 yards and a touchdown in 2018. He returned 12 for only 81 yards in 2019, then he returned 17 punts for 168 in 2020. Not great to see his numbers decline the way they did, but it at least gives him additional experience should the Chicago Bears decide Dazz Newsome could backup Tarik Cohen on punts.

From an offensive perspective, Dazz Newsome’s best season came in 2019. At 5’11” he is not a prototypical red zone threat. He is a player who should operate primarily out of the slot and could push to be Anthony Miller’s replacement depending on what happens to him this offseason. Dazz Newsome gained 1,018 yards on 72 catches and 10 touchdowns. He followed that performance up win 2020 with 54 catches for 684 yards and six touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.

The big difference for Dazz Newsome between 2019 and 2020 was the targets he saw. In 2019 he saw 102 targets (catching 72 of them) whereas in 2020 he only saw 70 targets. The good news is his catch rate increased every year of his collegiate career going from 58.1% to 63.8% to 70.6% and finally, he caught 77.1% of the balls thrown his way.

Dazz Newsome is an above-average route runner who has a decent route tree. He has the ability to create yards after the catch as his burst is better than his top-end speed. This also allows him to find separation from defenders. Adding Dazz Newsome will likely mean the end of the line for either Riley Ridley, Anthony Miller or Javon Wims. Honestly, it could mean more than one of these three is released or traded.

Final Thoughts:

I am not gung-ho with the early picks in the sixth round, but I do not hate them either. Most of these guys are a crapshoot in the sixth and seventh rounds. I do think both find a way to make the roster in 2021 but will either contribute in a meaningful way is yet to be seen. The bottom line, adding these two players rounds out a top-of-the-line draft put in place by the Chicago Bears.