Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney had an exceptional 2021 season, finishing with 81 receptions, 1,055 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
But before Mooney became a staple to the Bears offense, he was somebody he felt no one believed in.
Mooney joined the Bears after getting selected in the fifth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft and has easily proved to be a steal in that years' draft class. His 1,055 receiving yards last season made him the 18th player in franchise history with a 1,000-yard receiving campaign.
No one could have predicted what Mooney would have accomplished since entering the league, except maybe for Mooney himself, according to 670 The Score's Chris Emma.
"I know what I want out of my life and I know what I want out of this league," Mooney said. "[I was] disrespected as a fifth-rounder when I was picked."
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Mooney knew what he was capable of even before getting his name called late on that April draft night two years ago.
In his first two NFL seasons, Mooney totaled 142 career receptions, the most by a Bears player recorded in those first couple of seasons.
He has shown he's way more than just a fifth-rounder and looks to be the No. 1 receiver now that Allen Robinson is gone.
To shut down the disrespect, Mooney worked on his conditioning during the offseason, grew his chemistry with Justin Fields and wants to be a better player than Chicago already knows.
"At the end of the day, I will get my respect and I'm going to keep going until I get my respect. "Even when I do get my respect, I'm still going to keep going," he said.