Is Duke Shelley the Chicago Bears Next Slot Cornerback?

Although I had a pretty good idea about the Bears first two picks, the last three picks were complete mysteries to me. This started with sixth round pick, Duke Shelley, a 5'9" cornerback out of Kansas State. Shelley was not invited to the combine, but did have an impressive pro day where he ran a 4.46 40 yard dash. I took a look at his game against Oklahoma State to get a better idea about his chances of making an impact as a slot cornerback for the Bears.

Shelley was a four-year starter at Kansas State, and that experience definitely showed up in his game against Oklahoma State.

On this play, he is an off coverage on the outside receiver at the top of the screen. Although it happens off screen unfortunately, Shelley reads the quarterback and nearly picks off the pass. He shows good instincts and quick decision making while breaking up this pass.

On this next play, he does a good job defending the fade.

He stays in constant contact with the wide receiver to make sure he stays close. Although he is unable to make contact with the ball after looking back, his arm goes straight up the middle of the receiver's chest so the only way that he can catch the ball is to make a one-handed circus catch.

Since Shelley's future will be in the slot, he will have to be a good tackler. He excels in this area despite his diminutive size.

This is an excellent wrap up and tackle in the open field, and he displayed this ability multiple times in the game that I watched.

He also showed he can be a playmaker.

Remember that second play where he played through the man's chest but made no contact with the ball. Well, here he uses the same technique and makes it nearly impossible for the receiver to make the catch. He then gets an added bonus when the ball pops up and lands into his hands before he goes out the back of the endzone. The interception involved a bit of luck, but the pass breakup is great technique, and he earned the positive outcome.

I came into this not knowing anything about Duke Shelley but left it coming away very impressed. He can tackle, does a good job of reading the quarterback and breaking on passes, and has good technique to break up passes down the field. I would say that I question the athleticism some, as the rule of thumb is usually to add 0.1 seconds to a 40 time if done at a pro day. But flat out speed is less important in the slot. I didn't see him go up against many hard-ins or outs in this game, but the quickness he shows in staying with those routes will be the biggest question to answer on whether he can be the future at slot cornerback from the Bears. Still, for a sixth round pick, I am pretty excited about his potential to fill that role.


Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia