While most scouts were watching Liberty for their quarterback Malik Willis, Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears noticed wide receiver Kevin Shaa, and decided he was worth a look. Shaa spent four years at Liberty and finished with 82 catches, 1,364 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Last season he produced 28 catches, 516 yards, and six touchdowns.
The reason why Shaa went undrafted is understood. Not only does the small school background hurt him, but he also stands at 5’9″ and 166 pounds. He ran a 4.39 at his Pro Day to be fair, but there are not many players at all that size in the NFL.
Below you can see every player under 5’10” and 170 pounds from the past 20 years.
| Rk | Year | Player | Pos | Age | AV | School | Height | Wt | 40YD | Vertical | BenchReps | Broad Jump | 3Cone | Shuttle | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) ▲ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | Marquise Brown | WR | 21 | 25 | Oklahoma | College Stats | 5-9 | 166 | Baltimore Ravens / 1st / 25th pick / 2019 | ||||||
| 2 | 2008 | DeSean Jackson | WR | 21 | 92 | California | College Stats | 5-10 | 169 | 4.35 | 120 | Philadelphia Eagles / 2nd / 49th pick / 2008 | ||||
| 3 | 2005 | Roscoe Parrish | WR | 22 | 15 | Miami (FL) | College Stats | 5-10 | 168 | 4.37 | Buffalo Bills / 2nd / 55th pick / 2005 | |||||
| 4 | 2021 | Tutu Atwell | WR | 21 | 0 | Louisville | College Stats | 5-8 | 155 | 4.42 | 33.0 | 117 | 6.89 | 4.14 | Los Angeles Rams / 2nd / 57th pick / 2021 | |
| 5 | 2014 | Jalen Saunders | WR | 21 | 0 | Oklahoma | College Stats | 5-9 | 165 | 4.44 | 34.0 | 122 | New York Jets / 4th / 104th pick / 2014 | |||
| 6 | 2003 | Shaun McDonald | WR | 21 | 20 | Arizona State | College Stats | 5-8 | 169 | 4.43 | St. Louis Rams / 4th / 106th pick / 2003 | |||||
| 7 | 2015 | J.J. Nelson | WR | 22 | 12 | Ala-Birmingham | 5-10 | 156 | 4.28 | 36.0 | 127 | 7.02 | 4.15 | Arizona Cardinals / 5th / 159th pick / 2015 | ||
| 8 | 2014 | Tevin Reese | WR | 23 | Baylor | College Stats | 5-10 | 163 | 4.46 | 41.0 | 132 | 6.63 | 4.18 | San Diego Chargers / 7th / 240th pick / 2014 | ||
| 9 | 2002 | Aaron Lockett | WR | Kansas State | College Stats | 5-7 | 155 | 4.31 | 35.0 | 119 | 6.84 | 4.11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 7th / 254th pick / 2002 | |||
| 10 | 2008 | Anthony Alridge | RB | Houston | College Stats | 5-9 | 170 | 4.36 | 30.5 | 134 | 6.88 | |||||
| 11 | 2021 | Jaylen Harris | WR | Ohio St. | College Stats | 5-8 | 170 | 4.77 | 30.5 | 8 | 109 | 7.37 | 4.50 | |||
| 12 | 2019 | Jovon Durante | WR | Florida Atlantic | College Stats | 5-11 | 160 | 4.55 | 31.5 | 120 | 7.00 | 4.31 | ||||
| 13 | 2020 | Jeff Thomas | WR | Miami | College Stats | 5-9 | 170 | 4.45 | 36.5 | 125 | ||||||
| 14 | 2001 | Arnold Jackson | WR | 23 | 0 | Louisville | College Stats | 5-8 | 167 | 4.48 | 41.0 | 127 | 7.42 | 4.11 | ||
| 15 | 2013 | Onterio McCalebb | RB | 23 | 0 | Auburn | College Stats | 5-10 | 168 | 4.34 | 34.0 | 121 | ||||
| 16 | 2021 | Pooka Williams | RB | 21 | 0 | Kansas | College Stats | 5-9 | 170 | 4.46 | 31.5 | 4 | 118 | 7.03 | 4.26 | |
| 17 | 2010 | Brandon Banks | WR | 22 | 1 | Kansas State | College Stats | 5-7 | 149 | 4.37 | 31.0 | 113 | 6.88 | 4.29 |
Sure, you can point to Marquise Brown and Desean Jackson, but they were top 50 picks. The UDFA list featured Javon Durante, Jeff Thomas, Arnold Jackson, Onterio McCalebb, Pooka Williams, and Brandon Banks.
This would mean that Shaa is hoping to set a precedent.
Could Kevin Shaa make Chicago Bears roster?
Kevin Shaa does not have a return game background in his past, and even then the team drafted a couple of return options. It means that Shaa will have a hard time winning a roster spot with special team’s ability.
He will have to prove that his speed can transform a game like Desean Jackson and that he can overcome his size deficiencies. Shaa has higher hurdles to climb than a typical UDFA and may be pushing hard just to get on the practice squad.