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Although Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace didn’t reach most of his first-round selections, he was able to put together an impressive 2020 draft class.
Fifth-round receiver Darnell Mooney, who quickly established himself as Chicago’s second receiver behind Allen Robinson, led the 2020 rookie class. Second-round pick Jaylon Johnson, the seventh-registered cornerback in the draft, outclassed his predecessors and showed he has a future in this league. Even tight second-round winger Cole Kmet showed potential in his rookie season.
Here’s a look at how Chicago’s rookie class fared in what was an unconventional 2020 season.
TE Cole Kmet (2nd round, choice 43)
AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh
Season stats: 28 receptions, 243 yards, 2 touchdowns
There were high expectations for Chicago’s first pick at Cole Kmet, but it notably takes close endings a year to develop as they acclimatize to the NFL. Kmet was virtually invisible in this attack earlier in the year, and it wasn’t until Bill Lazor took over from Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky asked to get the rookie on offense more involved that Kmet started showing lightning. It took Kmet a little while to get started, which had a lot to do with his use in the passing game, but Kmet showed a lot of promise heading into his second season.
CATEGORY B-
CB Jaylon Johnson (2nd round, pick 50)
AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh
2020 stats: 44 total tackles, 15 pass breakouts, 1 tip
There were six cornerbacks ahead of Jaylon Johnson in the NFL Draft, and that’s something that fueled the rookie. According to PFF, Johnson allowed five touchdowns and 41 catches in 13 games for an average of 14.3 yards per reception and also placed sixth among all outside turns for forced incomplete rate (21%). Johnson was one of the league’s best rookie cornerbacks before a shoulder injury kept him sidelined for the last four games of the season. Still, Johnson’s future looks bright.
CATEGORY B
OLB Trevis Gipson (5th round, pick 155)
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Statistics 2020: 5 tackles in total
We always knew Trevis Gipson was going to be a draft, which is why his disappointing rookie season came as no surprise. He only played in seven games, where he totaled five tackles. Still, that wasn’t a significant sample size to judge Gipson. But you think if he was awesome in practice he would have had more reps than Vaughters. We’ll see what Gipson can do with a whole offseason to improve.
GRADE: C-
CB Kindle Vildor (5th round, choice 163)
Photo AP / Wade Payne
2020 statistics: 17 tackles in total, 1 broken pass
The Bears were ravaged by offseason cornerback injuries, which gave fifth-round rookie Kindle Vildor an opportunity in his first season. With Johnson sidelined with a shoulder injury, Vildor has seen some action in the last four games, including the playoffs. While Vildor has had his fair share of struggles in his rookie season, there are certainly promise for the young cornerback.
GRADE: C
WR Darnell Mooney (5th round, pick 173)
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Season stats: 61 receptions, 631 yards, 4 touchdowns
Say what you want of Ryan Pace’s difficulty selecting players in the first round, but he certainly knows how to find end-of-round gems. Darnell Mooney is the perfect example, a fifth-round pick that turned out to be one of the biggest interceptions in the 2021 NFL Draft. Mooney made an immediate impact for the Bears, where he started as a # 3 wide receiver in week 1. At week 2 he got # 2 reps behind Robinson and was clear # 2 catcher in week 3. Mooney flashed awesome speed and good hands and he certainly did. a bright future in Chicago.
GRADE: A
OL Arlington Hambright (7th round, pick 226)
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Arlington Hambright saw the field for just 82 shots during his rookie season, where he suffered a penalty and did not allow a sack. Seventy-seven of those snaps came from his first start against the Tennessee Titans. But given the small sample size, it is difficult to rate this across all of his work.
GRADE: incomplete
OL Lachavious Simmons (7th round, pick 227)
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago’s final selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Lachavious Simmons was the only Bears rookie not to have played a regular-season game last season. The closest Simmons came to seeing was the pitch was back in Week 9, when he was promoted from the training squad to the active roster against the Titans due to COVID-19 knocking out several offensive linemen. Unfortunately for Simmons, he landed on the COVID-19 / reserve list and was unable to get dressed.
GRADE: incomplete
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