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In the lead-up to the NFL draft, there are scouts,
coaches, and other front office personnel pounding their fists on the table for
one player or another from colleges around the country.
Ultimately, the general manager has final say over who the
team winds up choosing when they are on the clock, but behind that decision is
conviction from any number of the front office or coaching staff who believe
they found the next great NFL player.
In the case of
Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney, it was his former position coach
that pushed hard for general manager Ryan Pace to draft him two years ago.
Mooney was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the
2020 NFL draft. Coming out
of Tulane, Mooney had success in college, but was viewed as a backup receiver
and wasn’t expected to make a significant impact for multiple reasons. But
Mooney burst onto the scene in a hurry and became the team’s WR2 his rookie
year. He took even more strides last season to cement himself as the
unquestioned WR1 now heading into his third season. None of it would have
happened if not for former wide receivers coach Mike Furrey.
In a piece written by Dan Pompei in The Athletic that details Mooney’s hard-working attitude and
relentlessness to be great, one nugget stood out about the process in drafting
the 24-year old receiver. According
to Pompei, Furrey was doing homework on the receivers coming out of the 2020
NFL Draft and paused when he got to Mooney. Furrey was enamored with him as a
prospect and even compared him to Hall of Fame wide receiver and former
teammate Issac Bruce when it came to his mindset.
“His desire and passion are rare,” Furrey told Pompei.
Furrey was the Bears wide receivers coach under Matt Nagy
from 2018-21, his first coaching stint at the professional level. He was
previously a wide receiver in both the arena football league and NFL and
coached in college, where he is again after being let go from the Bears earlier
this winter. Towards the end of his Bears tenure, Furrey became an easy target
for fans given the lack of development of many of his receivers, but
willingness to fight opposing defenders. He was known for hyping players up on
the sideline more than anything.
Furrey won’t be on anyone’s list for favorite Bears
position coaches anytime soon, but he seemed to have an eye for talent. Without him, Mooney would be
producing with another team instead and if his workouts this season are any
indication, he’s on the cusp of greatness.
