The Senior Bowl entered its second day of practices this week. Action has picked up considerably. That’s no surprise given players have grown more comfortable with the practice style. GM Ryan Pace, head coach Matt Nagy and the rest of the Chicago Bears contingent are down there busily evaluating every prospect they can. Already they’ve held some extended meetings with certain prospects.
One position they are watching carefully? The wide receivers. As if this is any surprise. The Bears barely managed to top 3,000 yards passing in 2017. Their leading target was Kendall Wright who finished with 614 yards. If Mitch Trubisky is going to realize his potential, they have to do better than that. That means uncovering every potential good receiver they can find.
If they’re any good at their jobs then they’ve been seeing one announce himself to the NFL mainstream down in Mobile. Scouts likely have known about him for some time, but fans and higher-ups finally are seeing just how good a player Colorado State receiver Michael Gallup is.
Chicago Bears have to be daydreaming about idea of adding Gallup
Everybody knows the requirements. If you’re from a smaller program, you should’ve dominated your level of competition in order to get noticed by the NFL. Gallup fulfilled that part of the deal with 2,690 yards and 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons for CSU.
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At first glance, there isn’t a lot of flash about Gallup. It seems his name is rather fitting. He’s not going to torch defenses deep but he’s got enough speed combined with a well-built frame, good hands and sharp route running skill to constantly get himself open. When he isn’t though he’s still a danger, able to make tough catches in traffic. One less that was learned quickly? It’s hard to cover him without help.
Defensive backs at the Senior Bowl have been finding that out the hard way. Numerous times just in the first couple practices he’s shown to be arguably the most well-rounded receiver on the field. By a comfortable margin.
Michael Gallup beats his man easily but ball under thrown. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/uY9RSpinzE
— Henry Elizondo (@HenryElizondo9) January 23, 2018
Josh Allen to Michael Gallup pic.twitter.com/KiwQH13x7O
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 24, 2018
These are just some of the impressive moments he’s had. It really does seem like every time the ball is thrown in his direction, he’s open. Watch him for long enough and people will see a slightly shorter version of Demaryius Thomas. The builds, the running and catching styles, and the sneaky speed all lineup. Gallup is just two inches shorter. As of now expectations are he lands somewhere on Day 2 of the draft.
This means the Bears may want to consider him in the second round. His reliability is something Trubisky hasn’t had from others on the roster. He may not be the superstar fans are dreaming of, but they need to simply get better before they get great.
