GM Ryan Poles has done some significant retooling of the wide receiver room over the past six months for the Chicago Bears. He added Chase Claypool at the trade deadline last November. Now he’s inserted D.J. Moore into the mix after trading the #1 pick to Carolina. Suddenly the Bears have a young and athletic trio of weapons, along with Darnell Mooney. There is one lingering concern. Of those three, only Moore is under contract beyond 2023. There is a realistic possible one of Claypool or Mooney could be gone after this season. That would make adding a receiver in the draft a wise decision. That is where Tyke Tolbert comes in.
The Bears wide receivers coach has 21 years of experience in the NFL, including a Super Bowl ring in 2015. He’s worked with some of the best in the business at the position. During that time, he’s likely developed preferences like any normal person would. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune asked him about what types he may look for in this draft. Tolbert’s answer was telling.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Do you like big guys, small guys, inside guys, outside, whatever?’ I look for playmakers,” Tolbert said. “No matter what shape, size or color they are, if they can make plays, then you dig more into it. And then you look for guys who can run, guys who are intelligent, guys who are multipositional. You look at all that stuff.”
Tolbert elaborated that size and speed don’t matter as much as one key trait. All top receivers tend to have it.
“The thing I like the most in a receiver is the ability to cut and separate,” he said. “Now, if you have someone who is fast and who can cut and separate, that’s phenomenal.”
Tyke Tolbert offered clarity on who the Bears may target.
It’s already well-known the team has some level of interest in Ohio State standout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Few are better when it comes to creating separation. Boston College’s Zay Flower is probably the other hot name in that department. He’s been drawing Antonio Brown comparisons of late. However, there is a reasonable likelihood the Bears won’t target a receiver in the 1st or even 2nd rounds. So that means they will wait until probably the 3rd at the earliest. In that case, Tank Dell of Houston, Charlie Jones of Purdue, and Jayden Reed of Michigan State all fit the profile.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
It will be fascinating to see how much sway Tyke Tolbert has in the discussion. Poles has said he values the input of his coaching staff highly during the evaluation process. Maybe Tolbert has somebody in this class he’d pound the table for. Either way, it’s a fair assumption the Bears won’t leave the weekend without drafting one. They need more depth and some long-term insurance.
