It’s still early on in his first training camp, but that hasn’t stopped Daniel Braverman from showing out.
During Friday’s non-padded practice Braverman send a buzz through the crowd, fans and media alike, with several big plays, including two spectacular leaping catches in traffic over the middle.
In addition to showing off some underrated athleticism the 7th-round pick out of Western Michigan showed off the quickness and crafty route running that put him on the map in college. Braverman seemingly got open at will and both David Fales and Connor Shaw made it a point to look for him frequently which is a promising sign for the rookie.
Also on display today was the aggressive fiery nature that comes from having a chip on one’s shoulder, which came out doing a pumped-up celebration of his first huge play. As you would expect, the 7th-round pick is playing like he’s fighting for a roster spot on every play and isn’t taking the opportunity for granted.
There goes that man… #Bears pic.twitter.com/4vEbZcmbbS
— Khari Thompson (@kdthompson5) July 30, 2016
After all, Braverman to the seventh round despite a highly productive college career against high-profile opponents and had to fight to a scholarship from Western Michigan despite a dominant high school career in Florida, a state known for producing NFL talent.
Yet despite a lack of size and superior athleticism, the young receiver has so far had an impactful camp and has been working his way on to John Fox’s radar.
When asked about the rookie receiver after practice, the head coach stated that “he’s caught our eye” not just with his on-the-field play but also with his offseason preparation.
As with all other aspects of the roster we will learn more about Braverman’s staying power when the Bears start fully padded practice tomorrow.
Though there has been physical play from defensive backs on receivers during the shoulder pads only portion of camp having full pads will tell us more about is ability to escape contact off the line of scrimmage and maneuver against NFL speed in and out of routes.
If nothing else though this early performance in training camp aside from peeking Bears fans interest shows that Braverman is not afraid of a challenge and is clearly hungry for a larger role.
While it’s far too early to buy into the Wes Welker/Julian Edelman comparisons that are frequently used with the young receiver, it’s not unreasonable to think that Braverman could be earning looks from Jay Cutler relatively soon in his NFL career.
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