Chicago Bears Once Again Showing Interest in Canadian Standout

One thing that has become clear over the past year is the Chicago Bears are willing to turn over any rock to find possible talent. An avenue they’ve grown more and more aggressive with in recent years is the pipeline to Canada. Last season they signed college star Mathieu Betts and CFL veteran James Vaughters to deals. Betts didn’t work out, but Vaughters became a decent reserve at outside linebacker.

This offseason began in a similar way with GM Ryan Pace winning the race to sign star CFL cornerback Tre Roberson. It seems the Bears aren’t done quite yet. They’ve remained active north of the border scouting potential hidden gems. According to Christian Shanafelt of NFL Draft Bible (BetMGM offer), they have their eyes on a fascinating young man out of the University of Montreal named Marc-Antoine Dequoy.

Maybe the most interesting draft prospect in 2020? Deqouy is a freakish athlete who at 6'2, 198lbs recorded a 4.35 forty, 6.65 3-cone, 37in vertical, 10ft 8in broad jump at just the 2nd ever pro-day held at the University of Montreal @Carabins w/the #Bears & #Eagles in attendance pic.twitter.com/xw85wBz8Vy

— Christian Shanafelt (@ChrisShanafelt) March 23, 2020

In addition to being a physical marvel, the defensive back also developed a reputation as a ballhawk in college. He collected 12 total interceptions during his time there and returned six of them for touchdowns.

Il n’y a maintenant plus seulement ses cheveux qui sont légendaires.
Marc-Antoine Dequoy, joueur défensif de l’année du football universitaire québécois. #TousCarabins
Félicitations pic.twitter.com/MAfjm0DeyG

— Carabins (@Carabins) November 9, 2018

Chicago Bears might have plans for Dequoy

People will see that and assume the Bears might have plans for Dequoy as a safety or even cornerback. However, that might not be the case. Eddie Jackson is firmly cemented on the roster at free safety. They also have added multiple cornerbacks this offseason. It could be possible that they would seek to find a different use for that speed of his by switching him to wide receiver.

With the exit of Taylor Gabriel, the Bears are starved for fast targets on offense. Dequoy clearly has the juice to go along with intriguing 6’2 size. He has no problems catching the football and taking it to the house either. Switching from corner to receiver isn’t totally out of the ordinary. College players do it quite often. If he could learn to run routes properly and has serviceable hands, the ceiling is quite high for him.

Otherwise, he would be viewed as a long-term project for defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to tinker with.