Report: Former Baylor receiver Tyquan Thornton visits the Bears

The 2022 NFL Draft is now only a few weeks away. With most proper deeper scouting already concluded, teams usually bring prospects in person to vet them during this time. On Monday, the Bears continued the final steps of their pre-draft process when they brought Tyquan Thornton to Lake Forest for a visit, reported Underdog Fantasy’s Josh Norris.

It’s easy to see why the Bears are doing more homework on the former standout (Baylor) Bear. In 14 games during the 2021 season, Thornton blew up Big 12 defenses with 62 receptions for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns. For you math majors out there, that aligns with a stellar 15.3 yards per catch — in line with a career average of 15.7 yards per catch over four college campaigns.

I’m saying that Thornton often takes the top off a defense and might be an ideal fit for Justin Fields’ hunt-downfield playstyle. Place Thornton alongside fellow speedster slash deep threat Darnell Mooney and the Bears’ offense might genuinely see a deep Cover-2 shell defense for 90 percent of a season. At the very least, one of those guys would get single coverage more than a defense would prefer, which is less than ideal — for the defense, of course.

Whatever happens in the draft, it’s clear the Bears and GM Ryan Poles know they need to add more young, dynamic playmakers. Thornton certainly fits the bill.

Norris also reported the Bears met with Michigan State’s Jalen Nailor.