Darnell Mooney Explained

Darnell Mooney
Current Team:Atlanta Falcons
Number:1
Position:Wide receiver
Birth Date:October 29, 1997
Birth Place:Gadsden, Alabama, U.S.
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:174
High School:Gadsden (AL) City
College:Tulane (2016–2019)
Draftyear:2020
Draftround:5
Draftpick:173
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Statseason:2023
Statlabel1:Receptions
Statvalue1:213
Statlabel2:Receiving yards
Statvalue2:2,593
Statlabel3:Receiving touchdowns
Statvalue3:11
Statlabel4:Rushing yards
Statvalue4:59
Statlabel5:Rushing touchdowns
Statvalue5:1
Pfr:MoonDa00

Darnell Mooney (born October 29, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tulane and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

Mooney went to Gadsden City High School in Gadsden, Alabama.[1] Mooney played football and basketball for the Gadsden City Titans.[2]

College career

At Tulane, Mooney led the Green Wave in receiving in both his junior and senior seasons.[3] [4] He caught 48 passes each year, totaling 993 yards in 2018 and 713 yards in 2019. Mooney scored 19 touchdowns in his college career.[5] At the NFL draft combine, Mooney ran a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds.[6]

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Mooney was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 173rd pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on July 21.[7]

In his NFL debut, a 27–23 victory over the Detroit Lions, Mooney caught three passes from Mitchell Trubisky for 38 yards.[8] He scored his first touchdown the following week when he caught a 15-yard pass against the New York Giants.[9] In Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings, Mooney caught four passes and a touchdown; the former elevated his season reception total to 46, enabling him to set the Bears franchise record for the most catches by a rookie, passing Harlon Hill's 45 in 1954.[10] Week 17 against the rival Packers, Mooney had his best game of his rookie season, catching 11 passes for 93 yards.[11] Mooney sustained an ankle injury near the end of the Packers game, which forced him to miss the Bears' playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.[12]

For the 2021 season, Mooney caught 81 passes for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns.[13] His best performance came in the last game, which came against the Vikings, where Mooney caught 12 passes for 126 yards.[14]

In 2022, Mooney started the first 12 games before suffering an ankle injury in Week 12. He was placed on injured reserve on November 29, 2022.[15] He finished with 40 receptions for 493 yards and two touchdowns.[16]

Mooney finished the 2023 Chicago Bears season with career lows of 31 receptions, 414 yards, one touchdown.[17] His best performance came in a Week 8 game against the New Orleans Saints, where he caught 5 passes for 82 yards. Mooney sustained a concussion in Week 15 and missed the final two games of the season. Mooney, a pending free agent, expressed interest in returning to Chicago, commenting, "I want to be here. I love Chicago. I love being here."

Atlanta Falcons

On March 15, 2024, Mooney signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.[18]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesReceivingRushingFumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
CHI16 9 61 631 10.3 53 4 4 20 5.0 16 0 1 0
CHI17 14 81 1,055 13.0 64 4 6 32 5.3 15 1 0 0
CHI12 12 40 493 12.3 56 2 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0
CHI15 14 31 414 13.4 41 1 2 5 2.5 3 0 0 0
Career 45 35 182 2,179 12.0 64 10 11 54 4.9 16 1 1 0

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Couch . Teddy . September 13, 2020 . Gadsden City's Darnell Mooney makes NFL debut . April 13, 2021 . Gadsden Times . en-US.
  2. Web site: Darnell Mooney's High School Timeline. April 13, 2021. MaxPreps.com. en.
  3. Web site: 2018 Tulane Green Wave Stats . September 23, 2020 . College Football at Sports-Reference.com . en.
  4. Web site: 2019 Tulane Green Wave Stats . September 23, 2020 . College Football at Sports-Reference.com . en.
  5. News: Finley . Patrick . April 25, 2020 . NFL draft: Bears land Tulane speedster Darnell Mooney after another trade . . April 25, 2020.
  6. News: Melo . Justin . April 19, 2020 . Meet Darnell Mooney, Tulane's gem of a WR prospect . Draft Wire . April 25, 2020.
  7. News: Mayer . Larry . July 21, 2020 . Bears sign all seven of their 2020 draft picks . . July 21, 2020.
  8. Web site: Darnell Mooney Game Stats . September 23, 2020 . www.nfl.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: Trubisky 2 TD passes, Barkley hurt as Bears edge Giants . September 20, 2020. Associated Press . ESPN.com . September 20, 2020.
  10. News: Finley. Patrick. Darnell Mooney: Bears offense has 'everything clicking'. Chicago Sun-Times. December 20, 2020. December 20, 2020.
  11. Web site: Packers vs. Bears - Game Summary. ESPN.
  12. Web site: Mayer . Larry . January 10, 2021 . Bears rule Smith, Mooney out of wild card game . March 20, 2021 . ChicagoBears.com . en-US.
  13. Web site: Darnell Mooney 2021 Game Log . 2024-06-09 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  14. Web site: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings - January 9th, 2022 . 2024-06-09 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  15. Web site: Roster Moves: Bears place Mooney, Jackson on IR, sign Thomas to active roster. Mayer, Larry. ChicagoBears.com. November 29, 2022.
  16. Web site: Darnell Mooney 2022 Game Log . 2024-06-09 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  17. News: Potash . Mark . December 14, 2023 . Disappointed Darnell Mooney taking the high road . January 7, 2024 . Chicago Sun-Times.
  18. Web site: Falcons sign wide receiver Darnell Mooney. Waack, Terrin. AtlantaFalcons.com. March 15, 2024.