Darnell Mooney
New York Giants·#17·5'11"·177 lb·6th year·TulaneModel Score by season
Up 2.0 from last season.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
A field-stretching second receiver who lives or dies with his quarterback.
The case for
- 2021 Chicago season (81 catches, 1,055 yards) plus 2024 Atlanta breakout (64 catches, 992 yards) confirms genuine WR2 ceiling when QB play cooperates.
- Sub-4.4 forty plus the 4-year, $39M contract through 2026 establishes both physical profile and franchise commitment.
The worry
- Three tier 8 finishes in five seasons (#75 in 2023, plus the 2025 #91) shows the floor when the QB room collapses.
- Drake London absorbs the alpha target share; Mooney's WR2 ceiling depends on Penix Jr. distributing volume to the field-stretching WR2 role.
What to watch: Whether his 2026 target share clears 7 per game with Michael Penix Jr. as the locked starter, the threshold he needs for any return to tier 4 territory.
Full take and bio
Two career bright spots (#36 with Chicago in 2021, #27 with Atlanta in 2024) sandwich three tier 8 finishes (#75, #79 prior, #91 in 2025). The 2025 game log has one Wk 12 16.4 PPR spike against a backdrop of mostly sub-7 PPR weeks. The career arc is bounded by QB stability: when the QB is good he produces tier 4-5; when the QB is unstable he collapses to tier 8. At 28 the trajectory is what Michael Penix Jr.'s 2026 development determines.
Mooney came out of Tulane as Chicago's 5th-round pick (173rd overall) in 2020. His Bears career produced one tier 5 (#36 in 2021, 81 catches for 1,055 yards) season as the lone bright spot in a four-year stretch dominated by Chicago QB chaos. He signed a 3-year, $39M deal with Atlanta in 2024 and immediately produced a tier 4 (#27) breakout (64 catches for 992 yards) with Kirk Cousins post-Achilles. The 2025 #91 (tier 8) collapse came with Cousins benched and Michael Penix Jr. taking the offense in a different direction.
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Plays like: Cody Latimer, Paul Richardson, Marc Mariani. Built like: Dennis Northcutt, Eric Rivers, Zachariah Branch. Coming out: Phillip Dorsett, Kyle Williams, Steven Sims.
Of his 20 closest coming out: 2 stars, 3 starters, 11 backups, 4 didn't stick.
Darnell Mooney Props This Weekvs NO Sun Oct 18
| Market | Line | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime TD | +600 FanDuel |
Best price across 9 books as of Wed Oct 14. Lines move; check the book before you bet. This week's board · Line Room
Play Darnell's numbers on Underdog · partner link
Darnell Mooney Injury StatusQuestionable
Darnell Mooney is listed Questionable (Neck), reported Oct 14. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
This season · 4 games
4.1 fantasy points a game, 16 PPR on the season. Every game on the Game Log, every season on Career. Advanced numbers are EPA and Next Gen Stats.
Draft & College
Round 5, pick 173 to the Chicago Bears in 2020, out of Tulane (American Athletic). He went about where consensus had him.
In college, 2016-2019, 44 games: 153 rec, 2,514 yds, 19 TD, 16.4 yds/rec. Coming out: 4.38s 40 yd, 9 reps bench, 37" vertical, 124" broad.