Will Bears grab a big wide receiver?
If the Bears are looking to get bigger at wide receiver, they won’t have to look far in this year’s draft.
It starts with the class of this year’s group, Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones, who will both be long gone by the time the Bears pick at No. 29. But there will still be plenty of big pass catchers available to complement the Bears’ fast but undersized receiving corps.
Indiana’s 6-foot-2, 201-pound Tandon Doss has been moving up some draft boards recently, even though he’s still recovering from a late-season injury in which he tore lower abdominal muscles on both sides. He was unable to work out at the Scouting Combine, but he ran respectable 4.56 40 at his pro day, which wasn’t bad considering his inability to train recently.
Doss’ play on the field the past two seasons was much more impressive. He caught a total of 140 passes for 1,668 yards, and he also is an experienced kick- and punt-returner. That production and his versatility should make Doss a second- or third-round pick.
“I think the fact that I’m able to play special teams, I’m able to take handoffs, and I’m able to play on a kickoff team helps me,” said Doss, who averaged 5.8 yards on 28 carries last season. “Wherever teams need me, I’ll be able to fill in that spot. I’m a playmaker wherever you put me.”
Pittsburgh’s 6-foot-4½, 228-pound Jonathan Baldwin is another standout big man, and he has the speed to stretch the field. But he’s likely to be off the board by the time the Bears pick in the second round (62nd overall), and it’s doubtful they would take a wide receiver that early with more pressing needs on the offensive and defensive lines.
A more realistic option for the Bears could be Miami’s 6-foot-1½, 209-pound Leonard Hankerson, who possesses 4.44 speed in the 40.
“The best part of my game is I’m a big receiver, run good routes, go up and catch the ball, catch the ball in traffic and finish,” said Hankerson, describing exactly what the Bears could be looking for.
But he might also be snapped up before the Bears’ pick in Round 2. In his final two seasons at Miami, Hankerson caught 117 passes for 1,957 yards and 19 touchdowns (13 last season).
Another Bears consideration could be Boise State’s 6-foot-2½, 209-pound Austin Pettis, whose uncle, Gary Pettis, was a Gold Glove center fielder who played 11 years in the majors for four clubs.
His size makes Pettis an ideal red-zone weapon as he proved by becoming Boise’s all-time leader with 39 TD catches, including 24 in the past two seasons, when he caught 134 passes for 1,806 yards.
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