Most Chicago Bears fans will scoff at the idea of paying any attention to the upcoming rookie minicamp practices. A sideshow before the real action.
Anybody with real knowledge though understands the truth. This can sometimes be a great avenue for certain players to get noticed. Just ask Cameron Meredith. He was a tryout undrafted free agent out of Illinois State in 2015. After a strong series of performances he was invited to sign with the team and worked his way onto the active depth chart that season. Last year he led the entire roster with 888 receiving yards. Most expect even bigger things in 2017.
So don’t say that these minicamps aren’t important. In fact here are five names that will be present at the practices that stand a good chance of getting an invite to Bourbonnais.
Titus Davis (WR)
He wore the same number as Antonio Brown at Central Michigan, but Davis never got the same notoriety. Probably because he wasn’t as explosive. That made it so easy to overlook what actually made him a good receiver. He a nose for the end zone, scoring 37 touchdowns and showcased some savvy route running skill. He’s the type of receiver that would thrive in a West Coast-type offense. Exactly the sort the Bears like to run.
Titus Davis had 204 catches in college, 37 were for TDs. Route running skill and hands. #Bears https://t.co/8vHQincku8
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) May 12, 2017
Denard Robinson (RB)
It always felt like the Jaguars weren’t creative enough offensively to understand how to use Robinson. He’s such an athlete that it was about getting him the ball in space. Instead they looked at him more as a gadget player to be used on occasion. It never really worked. Robinson has speed to offer the backfield and the intelligence of a quarterback. The guy can create matchup advantages if he utilized like a versatile weapon and not just a change-of-pace back.
Alex Scearce (ILB)
One could classify this young man out of Coastal Carolina as a stats machine. In 2016 this linebacker was everywhere. He made 84 tackles (13.5 for loss), notched eight sacks, forced three fumbles and intercepted five passes. To top it off he scored five defensive touchdowns. Just knows how to find the football. That will make him a great special teams ace with the physical upside to compete for playing time down the road.
Theiren Cockran (OLB)
Some felt he made a mistake signing with the Vikings last year as a rookie free agent. He never seemed like a good fit for defensive end. It was when he played at a lighter weight where his burst and quickness as a pass rusher show up the most. He’ll get a chance to show that in Chicago. Keep in mind his other pursuers in 2016 were the Patriots, Ravens and Redskins. All three run variations of a 3-4 system and also have great talent evaluators.
#TBT to @DallasLloyd's pick six in El Paso. Dallas' five INT this season rank 2nd only to Ed Reynolds (6, 2012) since 2000. #GoStanford #DBU pic.twitter.com/S1iUCtSRug
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) January 26, 2017
Dallas Lloyd (S)
He only just started learning how to play safety in 2014 after playing quarterback. His progress since then has been amazingly rapid. The 6’3″ Lloyd had five interceptions and a defensive touchdown as a senior at Stanford. He’ll of course delight in explaining that the score and two of those picks came against prized Bears draft pick Mitch Trubisky. At the very least most believe he’s a classic special teams ace who can be more if he develops his game further.