2020 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
JUNE 21, 2020
NFL Draft 2020 Scouting Report: WR Darnell Mooney, Tulane (QH)
*WR grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, Wonderlic test results leaked, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.
*WR-B stands for "Big-WR," a classification we use to separate the more physical, downfield/over-the- top, heavy-red-zone-threat-type WRs. Our WR-S/"Small-WRs" are profiled by our computer more as slot and/or possession-type WRs who are typically less physical and rely more on speed/agility to operate underneath the defense and/or use big speed to get open deep...they are not used as weapons in the red zone as much.
Our Quick Hit (QH) scouting reports are a modified/shorter version of our full-scale reports. On these Quick Hits, I look at a lesser amount of tape and write a shorter amount of flowy words – these are usually designed more for sleeper prospects that I want to get more acquainted with and if something really jumps out, I’ll go deeper. It’s just me trying to get in and get out and deliver the pertinent notes to you for your consideration and for review later if they start to make waves in a year or two.
I’ll do a chunk of these pre-Draft and then more after the Draft, going through the players that caught my attention in the draft (because of how high they were taken) or that I stumble across in training camp or the preseason that catch my eye.
Most of my notes on these Quick Hits will be short and sweet bullet points versions of our full- scale reports. Enjoy…
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Like most, I noticed Darnell Mooney ran a 4.38 40-time at the 2020 NFL Combine…a terrific time, the 3rd-fastest time among all WRs. I also noticed…no one really cared. Count me in that group…I just kinda shrugged it off…running in the 4.3s these days is getting more commonplace. Mooney had graded pretty decently in our computer scouting models, but not as a top guy – and I had sampled some of his work prior to the Combine and he looked like a ‘too small’/’too thin’ mid-major conference decent wide receiver. Then he ran as he did at the Combine and my curiosity was piqued just a little more, but not much.
When the Bears invested a 5th-round pick in him I was a little more intrigued. As a scout of all things, I didn’t want to just blow off a guy who ran so fast at the Combine, was a solid WR for Tulane, and was
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2020 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
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drafted in the 5th-round. So, he’s been on the summer list of guys to take a deeper look at…and here we are.
Scouting tape notes (in no particular order)…
-- Way better ‘hands’ than I realized. My mind has been profiling a thin-framed speedster who could out speed Conference USA DBs from time-to-time, but that’s really a mistake/selling him very short. Just focusing on his speed is a distraction from all his other WR attributes…he’s not just a small speed guy. He has big hands for his overall size and he really tracks and catches the ball well.
-- A way better receiver instinct than I realized from my first preview, as well. Really adjusts to passes in flight well – and he had to do a lot of adjusting with the lower grade QB play/passing game he was stuck in. High points errant passes well.
Mooney was not only a speedster weapon but could also be a ‘go get it’ bail out throw for the QB.
-- Speaking of the QB play…Mooney got open a lot -- with his QB not even noticing most of the time. Mooney has very good feet off the snap to get himself open quickly and he can outrun most college DBs from there, but his QB either didn’t see (he didn’t read anything…just one predetermined look and throw or take off running) or the QB couldn’t make a decent throw when he tried too for lack of passer skills.
Had Mooney played at a bigger, better passing game school…he might have been a top 100-125 prospect. Tulane held him back to a degree.
-- Speaking of getting open/his feet…he was a nice point guard for a good high school basketball program/team. You can see some of that cat-like, Allen Iverson (If you remember/know of him) crossover ability to beat DBs off the snap or after the catch.
-- Solid character. Respected by players and coaches and was a team captain.
Darnell Mooney, Through the Lens of Our WR Scouting Algorithm:
-- Best season was 2018…48 rec., 993 yards, 8 TDs (13 games)…solid numbers, but note that he accounted for a huge chuck of the offense -- 42% of the passing yards and 53% of the passing TDs that season.
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2020 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
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-- Wasn’t involved in the kick or punt return game in his Tulane career. Only took only 5 carries in four years (for 28 yards) in his career.
-- Stat line of 6-168-2 in his bowl game debut in 2017 vs. SMU. Posted a 6-217-2 game vs. East Carolina in 2018.
-- Bigger out of conference games in his career…
2018 v. Ohio State = 4-77-0
2019 v. Auburn = 3-48-0
2020 NFL Combine data:
5’10”/176
9 5/8” hands, 30 7/8” arms
4.38 40-time, 1.54 10-yard
9 bench reps, 37” vertical, 10’4” broad jump
The Historical WR Prospects to Whom Darnell Mooney Most Compares Within Our System:
Reminded me of a better K.J. Hamler as I watched him more, and Hamler is a close match for him according to our system. Hamler couldn’t run at the Combine, but if he had put up Mooney’s speed times the football work would have lost their minds.
Hamler’s best CFB season: 56-904-8
Mooney’s best CFB season: 48-993-8
Mooney performed as good in a worse environment and as fast/faster than Hamler…and bigger, and to me Mooney offers much more as an all-around WR. The difference between the two among the scouts and national football analyst’s perception is a joke.
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2020 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
JUNE 21, 2020
WR Draft Last First College H H W Power Speed Hands Score Yr Strngth Agility Metric Metric Metric 6.791 2020 Mooney Darnell Tulane 5 10.1 176 2.83 11.72 8.03 6.727 2020 Hamler K.J. Penn State 5 8.5 178 5.69 11.58 7.00 5.939 2005 Mathis Jerome Hampton 5 11.2 181 4.06 15.03 6.97 5.706 2014 Brown John Pittsburg St 5 10.0 179 3.90 11.98 6.43 5.518 2017 Cannon K.D. Baylor 5 11.0 182 5.30 10.45 7.19 3.457 2019 Miller Scott Bowling Green 5 9.1 174 4.31 8.80 7.07
*A score of 7.0+ is where we start to take a Small-WR prospect more seriously. A score of 8.50+ is where we see a stronger correlation of a Small-WR going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL Small- WR. All of the WR ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances. Overall WR score = A combination of several on-field performance measures, including refinement for strength of opponents faced. Mixed with all the physical measurement metrics, rated historically in our database. “Power-Strength” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding physical-size profiling, bench press strength, etc. High scorers here project to be more physical, better blockers, and less injury-prone. “Speed-Agility” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding speed, agility, physical size, mixed with some on-field performance metrics. High scorers here project to have a better YAC and show characteristics to be used as deep threats/create separation. “Hands” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding on-field performance in college, considering the strength of opponents played. Furthermore, this data considers some physical profiling for hand size, etc. High scorers here have a better track record of college statistical performance, and overall this projects the combination of performance and physical data for the next level.
2020 NFL Draft Outlook:
Drafted #178 by the Chicago Bears. I would have projected 7th-round or UDFA pre-Draft.
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2020 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
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NFL Outlook:
Mooney enters a WR depth chart with a lot of bodies in the way – the unused veteran speed of Cordarrelle Patterson and Ted Ginn. He also has to get past the terribly overrated Riley Ridley and the very good/ignored Javon Wims. Mooney has to get past someone on here to make this team in 2020. Then he must climb up the depth chart ladder to playing time and doing so within a very stiff passing game. There’s hope here, but it may take another year and maybe another coaching staff to see it through.
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Signature______Date______6/21/2020
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