Mohamed Massaquoi fits Chicago Bears' biggest draft need
Georgia receiver has size, skills to fit Bears' biggest need
David Haugh
April 24, 2009
The last Muhammad to catch passes for the Bears, the enigmatic Muhsin, labeled Chicago the "place wide receivers go to die."
But if the Bears draft a Mohamed with the 49th pick in the second round the NFL draft Saturday -- Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi -- a star could be born.
Yes, that stardom probably would take time to nurture. But the elements never have been more conducive to developing a young Bears wide receiver, and that's the point. Whereas neither Muhsin Muhammad -- nor any other wideout in recent franchise history, for that matter -- ever had Jay Cutler to throw him the ball, Massaquoi would start improving from the first training-camp spiral.
General manager Jerry Angelo cannot ignore that new reality about his team. Angelo is the one, you will recall, who preached in his now-famous speech about fixating on the position he fixed, that the quarterback makes the receivers and not the other way around.
Why pass on an ideal chance to prove that theory if a receiver as gifted and potentially good as Massaquoi still is on the board, as many league personnel expect him to be when the Bears pick?
Besides lacking wide receivers with proven résumés, the Bears also have no one among their top three options who looks the part. Devin Hester and Rashied Davis, modern-day Smurfs in shoulder pads, are at the position by default. Meet Earl Bennett, and the lasting impression is that this is a guy you could see running for office instead of running down-and-outs.
Massaquoi is 6 feet 2 inches and 210 pounds with what his NFL.com profile calls "surprising overall musculature." In layman's terms, that means he's a stud. He caught enough passes as a four-year starter at a big-time program (158 catches, 2,282 yards, 16 touchdowns) to allay any concerns about productivity.
The biggest knock against him was a reputation for dropped passes, which Massaquoi earned as a sophomore and junior but overcame during a more consistent senior season. But there will not be one perfect player among the 220 drafted this weekend, so those drops quickly will become a top priority for wide receivers coach Darryl Drake.
Every GM and coach likes to add winners, and Massaquoi's picture is next to the definition in the football glossary. In his last eight seasons, Massaquoi's teams have compiled a 103-12 combined record. He never lost a game at Charlotte Independence High School, going 63-0 and winning four straight state titles. He was 40-12 at Georgia as the Bulldogs won three bowl games.
Sure, he had help building that résumé, but the point is there won't be many moments in the NFL that Massaquoi considers big enough to swallow him.
When coach Lovie Smith spoke Thursday about being able to find a wide receiver in the second round able to contribute immediately, Massaquoi was one of probably three he had in mind. He wouldn't have to catch 91 passes, such as 2008 second-rounder Eddie Royal did for Denver, to make a contribution that, thanks also to Cutler, immediately could transform the Bears' passing game.
Massaquoi meshes so well with what the Bears need and what his value is that it would even be worth moving up in the second round to select him if Angelo senses another team covets the wide receiver. If he is gone by then, the Bears might be wise to address other needs at free safety or defensive end and stay true to their public stance of taking the best available player still on the board.
Not even the draftniks who have studied the lists for months can tell you who those players will be at that point of the draft. This ode to Massaquoi isn't a projection as much as a suggestion.
The saying "If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountain" is all about taking matters into one's own hands. It's also sound advice for the Bears this weekend: Go to Mohamed and start the climb back to the Super Bowl.
dhaugh@tribune.com
