Chicago Bears: 5 best NFL comparisons to Kyler Gordons rookie season
Chicago Bears fans are feeling concerned about the rookie season of Kyer Gordon. Teams were targeting him relentlessly and struggles continued. The counter is that the Bears had an awful pass rush, and Gordon was just a rookie, so issues could be calmed down by his second season.
5 best NFL comparisons to Kyler Gordons rookie season
When looking at his first season stats, and his draft capital, the five names are who Kyler Gordon will be looking to after his rookie season.
5. Tyson Campbell
Tyson Campbell was only finishing his second NFL season in 2022, but he was drafted in about the same spot as Kyler Gordon, and he had an up-and-down rookie season.
Name | Tackles | Completions | Yards | Y/T | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kyler Gordon | 71 | 63 | 764 | 9.3 | 3 |
Tyson Campbell | 73 | 54 | 667 | 8.2 | 3 |
The big issue for Tyson Campbell was that he allowed 67% of his passes to be completed. That is about the same rate as Gordon last year. Like Gordon, a lot of fans said other factors could be the cause, including the Urban Meyer situation.
His yards per target dropped from 8.2 to 5.2 and his completion rate allowed went from 67% to 54%. Most analysts saw him as a year two breakout, and now he enters his third season with a real chance to make a name for himself.
4. Byron Murphy
Byron Murphy is very similar to Kyler Gordon. Both may have first-round talent, and both came from Washington. However, both are a bit smaller and transitioned to the slot, while also playing a little bit on the outside. Like Gordon, it took some time to adjust.
Name | Tackles | Completions | Yards | Y/T | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kyler Gordon | 71 | 63 | 764 | 9.3 | 3 |
Byron Murphy | 78 | 78 | 754 | 6.7 | 9 |
The one stat that stands out is yards per target. Despite about the same amount of yards, Murphy was targeted much more during his rookie season, if you can believe that. While he was more productive on a target-by-target basis, that also resulted in more touchdowns allowed.
Still, to be fair to Murphy he saw his yards allowed, completion rate, and TDs allowed drop, and all his career-worst rates were during his rookie season. Murphy had just 11 touchdowns allowed in the following three seasons, and last year he allowed just six yards per target on half of the targets as his rookie year. He signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
3. Rock Ya-Sin
Rock Ya-Sin was drafted at nearly the same pick as Kyler Gordon, and the two had a similar rookie season. The yards per target and touchdowns allowed are notable.
Name | Tackles | Completions | Yards | Y/T | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kyler Gordon | 71 | 63 | 764 | 9.3 | 3 |
Rock Ya-Sin | 62 | 46 | 637 | 9.7 | 3 |
Like the first two names, the rookie season was the worst for Rock Ya-Sin. His yards per target never topped nine after that season. It was down at six last season. His completion rate dropped from 69.7% during his rookie season to 60.9% last year. Even the 46 completions were never higher, although missing time due to injury has to do with that.
Rock Ya-Sin has bounced around, but that was due to a trade after a coaching change in his fourth year. He just signed with the Baltimore Ravens and will start on the outside for them in his fifth NFL season.
2. Trevon Diggs
While yes, this is an optimistic viewpoint the point remains that having a down rookie season is not the end of the world. In the case of Trevon Diggs, he blew up during his second season, but a lot of people were concerned after his first year.
Name | Tackles | Completions | Yards | Y/T | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kyler Gordon | 71 | 63 | 764 | 9.3 | 3 |
Trevon Diggs | 58 | 46 | 667 | 7.9 | 5 |
To be fair Diggs does have slightly better stats despite the touchdowns. Also, Diggs had 14 passes defended, and Gordon had six. Still, they both did have three interceptions. The point is not that Gordon will break out as Diggs did, but more than rookie cornerbacks will struggle, and sometimes you have to trust the reasons you drafted someone so high.
1. Donte Jackson
Donte Jackon is another smaller cornerback, but like Byron Murphy, he stuck outside and did not move into the slot. It came with ups and downs, and some stats that were even worse than Kyler Gordon.
Name | Tackles | Completions | Yards | Y/T | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kyler Gordon | 71 | 63 | 764 | 9.3 | 3 |
Donte Jackson | 74 | 46 | 789 | 10.1 | 6 |
The yards per target are bad, but the yards per completion are even worse. It took Jackson some time, and he was a liability for the Panthers. Still, he went from 10.1 yards per target to 10.4 in year two. Then, he dropped all the way down to 6.7 Y/T, followed by 7.1 and 6.9 in his last two years. That is impressive.
It led to Jackson signing a three-year extension with the Panthers that will cover the next two seasons.
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So, overall, we saw plenty of cornerbacks with poor rookie seasons turn their careers around. The high may not be Trevon Diggs, but guys like Ya-Sin, Jackson, and Murphy found second contracts in the NFL and will start despite similar seasons. Outcomes such as those three would be fine for many fans after the concern from year one.