Biggest Surprise of Bears Training Camp? Hello Darnell Mooney

The Chicago Bears are getting plenty of positive notes on offense through the first full week of training camp this year. Most of it centers around the tight end position. Jimmy Graham has shown glimpses of his old All-Pro self while rookie Cole Kmet has the entire team buzzing. This combined with the ongoing quarterback derby has made it easy to overlook another quiet standout. Darnell Mooney.

Selected in the 5th round back in April, the Tulane wide receiver came in with modest expectations. The Bears already had Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller. Combine that with the arrival of veteran Ted Ginn Jr., there was no real pressure for the rookie to excel right away. Did that stop? Not so much. According to multiple accounts, the speedy receiver is showing up a lot during drills. Much more than a player of his humble draft status usually does.

Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog actually had a scout friend text him a short time ago with a simple line.

“I think (the) Tulane kid.. Mooney is going to be really good.“

So it was an interesting coincidence when head coach Matt Nagy brought the rookie up during his latest press conference. A moment that included a pretty lofty comparison.

"He reminds me a lot of A-Rob in regards to meeting times. When he's in meetings, he asks really good questions. Very calm, cool, and collected. I just like where he's at. I think he has a bright future...He seems very mature for his age."

Darnell Mooney has stood out for two main reasons

The first being the most obvious. His speed. The kid can fly. He timed in the 4.3 range before the draft. So there is no doubt this is a guy who can take the top off a defense. Yet what really drew the Bears in was his approach to the game. They were surprised how far along he was as a route runner despite playing in a rather simple offense in college. A testament to the extra work he puts in.

If Bears fans are looking for a real comparison, remember the name Johnny Knox. The similarity between the two is actually quite striking. Both were 5th round picks with tons of speed. They emerged from smaller schools. Both stood around 6'0 tall and didn't take long to establish themselves in training camp as rookies.

Knox ended up becoming a quality target for the Bears from 2009 to 2012 before a terrible back injury ended his career. If Mooney can reach a similar level, the team may have found that spark plug they've been missing.