Two Stud Talents at RB Could Be Available to Bears Late in the Draft
Ryan Pace is usually the aggressive type in the NFL draft. Nobody can say it’s been a bad thing. This approach led him to Leonard Floyd, Mitch Trubisky, Eddie Jackson, and Anthony Miller. Not a bad collection of players. One can imagine the Chicago Bears draft plans may include another such move.
That may prove difficult though. Thanks to the Khalil Mack and Miller trades last year, the Bears are without their 1st, 2nd, and 6th round picks in 2019. Being aggressive with so little at their disposal seems unlikely. They may instead try to play the waiting game, see if some hidden gems might come tumbling to them.
This may involve having to take some risks, most often on health concerns. The Bears did so with Jackson, who had a broken leg in 2017. Would they be willing to do it again. If so, then the position they may want to look at is running back.
Chicago Bears draft could see lots of dynamic but damaged RB talent fall
ESPN draft expert Todd McShay reported on what he’s been hearing in league circles regarding several notable prospects. When he came around to two prominent running backs, he reported that they made be going later than some may be expecting.
“Bryce Love, RB, Stanford: There’s more concern from teams than originally thought. Once a Heisman favorite, and at one point considered one of the better running back talents in the draft class, Love has fallen quite a bit with injuries and a decline in production. Expect him to come off the board on Saturday.
Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma: Same deal with the Sooners running back. Anderson put up big numbers at Oklahoma in 2017, but injuries shortened his 2018 season and he couldn’t work out for teams. The talk around the league is he is likely off the board in Round 5.”
In 2017, Love and Anderson were at the top of the college football world. Love had over 2,000 rushing yards and scored 19 touchdowns. Anderson ran for over 1,100 yards with 13 touchdowns. Both are unique athletic players with great versatility.
It’s just that neither can assure teams they’ll be the players they once were two years ago. Hence why the expectations they’ll drop. It would be a gamble for the Bears if they were to draft them. However, the potential payoff for their offense could be enormous.
This comes down to have dangerously Pace is willing to live.