Why wide receiver Mooney proving to be a fast study for Bears

When Darnell Mooney was growing up in Alabama, his mom would often give him money for snacks at school.

That cash would rarely, if ever, go toward its intended purpose, however.

Instead, it went into a shoe box. A dollar here, a dollar there - until it grew to a respectable amount over time.

He took that same philosophy to Tulane University, always opting for the free, team-provided meals and never joining teammates for hot wings from a restaurant across the street.

Now, this is not to say Mooney is a penny-pincher. Not at all.

The rookie Bears' wide receiver recognizes how to invest in his future, which is exactly what he did when he bought a JUGS football passing machine after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

"It was one of the purchases I've been wanting (to make) for a very long time, even in college," Mooney said Friday as the Bears prepare to face the Vikings on Monday night. "It didn't hurt much. I was happy with it.

"Wanting to save money started at a young age; not spend it on unnecessary things. In the future I knew I would want to buy something that I needed."

Mooney's future is looking awfully bright as he's earned the trust of veteran quarterback Nick Foles as well as a coaching staff that is amazed at what a hardworking, mature young man they've added to their team.

College years

Not long after Willie Fritz took over as head coach of Tulane's football program in December 2015, he got wind of a kid in Alabama that could flat-out fly. But having been a college coach for nearly two decades, Fritz took the news with a grain of salt.

"You hear these times from high school coaches and sometimes you're like, 'Yeah, right,'" Fritz said. "Normally they get slower when they come here. I don't know why that is."

That wasn't the case when Fritz saw Mooney, who runs the 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds. Shortly after, Mooney accepted a full-ride scholarship and proceeded to impress Fritz in myriad ways on and off the field.

"We loved Darnell here. He's just a fine, fine young man," said Fritz, who pointed out that Mooney never missed a study hall, a breakfast check, a lunch check or a meeting in four years. "Which is incredible. "He came in as an adult. He had a great 18 years. I always tell people it's hard for me to change 18 years. If you had a bad 18 years, you're probably going to have a bad four years here at Tulane. Darnell just did a super job."

Mooney never posted overwhelming numbers at Tulane, which ran a lot of triple-option. He had 48 receptions for 993 yards and 8 TDs as a junior and 48 receptions for 713 yards with 5 TDs as a senior.

"He never - not one time - did he ever come to me or any of the coaches (and say), 'Hey, I need to get the ball more.' Never," Fritz said "And you don't get that much nowadays."

Because Tulane's offense was geared toward the run game, the 5-foot-11 Mooney became quite an efficient blocker. It's a trait he has brought to Chicago and something that has rubbed off on his teammates.

"(Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller) have seen the way he runs around in the run game," said Bears WR coach Mike Furrey. "So that becomes contagious. Why would you want a rookie to show you up?"

Catching on

COVID-19 has affected every pro sports league, in big ways and small. It deprived NFL rookies like Mooney of the post-draft rookie minicamp, offseason workouts, organized team activities and minicamps.

Even with all of these programs, young WRs often struggle in their first pro season or two.

Mooney had none of them AND no preseason games - yet he made an immediate impact by catching 3 passes for 38 yards in his NFL debut, a 27-23 victory over Detroit. The next week Mooney snared his first TD catch, a 15-yarder from Mitch Trubisky that gave the Bears a 17-0 lead over the Giants with just 24 seconds left in the first half.

"I don't think he's had any MA's (missed assignments) over the last four or five weeks," Furrey said.

"It seems like he's been around this league for a long time and nothing has fazed him."

Mooney, whom the Bears selected 173rd overall, has 31 catches for 348 yards and 2 TDs. Only four rookies have more catches - and they all went in the first 49 picks.

"The Bears did a great job of evaluating him. They really did," Fritz said. "They did their homework on him because he wasn't getting 70 catches a year like he could have in some other offenses."

Mooney's stats this season could be even more eye-popping if he was on a team with a serviceable offensive line or a more accurate quarterback.

Mooney was wide open twice against the Rams on October 26 - plays that could have gone for long gains or touchdowns - but Nick Foles was unable to connect either time. The second play came when Mooney put a stutter-and-go move on Jalen Ramsey that left the Rams' standout corner in the dust.

Unfortunately, protection broke down, and Foles had to throw well before he was ready.

Two more seconds of protection and it could have been a 96-yard TD.

"He really is an efficient route runner," Fritz said. "We got to watch him 1-on-1 every day and that's when he would undress some guys.

"I saw him do that to (Ramsey) and he had the guy beat by 10 yards, 15 yards. Just an errant pass. I've seen him do that move many times."

Good investment

A JUGS machine, which costs about $2,500 to $3,000, throws passes from 5-80 yards and can be adjusted for speed. While it's definitely a tool Mooney uses to improve, don't get the idea that he just goes home and catches thousands of balls after every practice.

Mooney does understand the value of downtime.

"I mean when I'm here (at Halas Hall), I'm locked in. I work as hard as I can," Mooney said. "But I do know how to get away from football, which is very helpful for the mind."

Still, Mooney's purchase has already paid off. Look no further than the 22-yard catch he made in the third quarter against the Titans last week. Sliding to his left - with a retreating linebacker partially obscuring his view - Mooney still managed to cradle the ball and come up with the catch.

"Just gotta be hungry for the ball, man," Mooney said. "Wherever it is - if it's anywhere in your vicinity, catch it."

That hunger figures to serve him well over the course of his career. But so does his work ethic, attention to detail and - most of all - a maturity beyond his years.

"I know I am beyond excited that he's part of this football team - especially the fact that we had no offseason," said Bears passing coordinator Dave Ragone. "We get him in training camp; you're not able to really go work him out before the draft. And then you get a guy like this who just seems like he gets it. ...

"When rookies just get it, you feel like the game's never going to be too big for them - or the moment or what they're asked to do. ... He can get better and better, and he knows that.

"It's great watching him go."

By the numbers

By the numbers

Darnell Mooney's stats at Tulane:

Season Rec.-Yds. Avg. TD

2016 24-267 11.1 2

2017 34-599 17.6 4

2018 48-993 20.7 8

2019 48-713 14.9 5

<b>Top 5 rookie WRs in NFL:</b>Name, team Rec-Yds.

1. CeeDee Lamb, Dal. 44-595

2. J. Jefferson, Minn. 34-627

3. Tee Higgins, Cinn. 33-488

4. C. Claypool, Pitt. 31-444

5. D. Mooney, BEARS 31-348

Note: Lamb was taken 17th overall, Jefferson 22nd, Higgins 33rd, Claypool 49th and Mooney 173rd