The NFL draft is about three weeks away. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bears do not have a first round pick or a second round pick this year. They gave up their first-round pick this year and next year to acquire all-pro pass rusher, Khalil Mack. They traded their second this year on day two of the draft last year to move up and get wide receiver, Anthony Miller.
The Bears have five picks in this year’s draft and are looking to add to an already talented roster. One position they could look at is running back. As of right now, the Bears have three running backs on their roster. Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, and Mike Davis all have different skill sets that would complement each other well. However, the Bears are reportedly looking to move on from Howard, as he doesn’t fit what head coach Matt Nagy wants to do. Let’s take a look at some running backs the Bears could target in the draft.
Chicago Bears Draft Targets: Running Backs
Miles Sanders
Miles Sanders had big shoes to fill when Saquon Barkley left for the NFL. Barkley was a Heisman trophy candidate who put up ridiculous numbers. While Sanders didn’t put up Barkley type numbers, he still had a very good season for the Penn State Nittany Lions. The junior ran for over 1200 yards on 220 carries and nine touchdowns. He also contributed in the passing game, catching 24 balls for 139 yards. Sanders best game came against the Illinois Fighting Illini. He rushed for a career-high 200 yards and three touchdowns in the Penn State victory.
Sanders met with Bears officials at the scouting combine a few weeks ago. There is definite interest there, as the Bears are looking for a running back who can play on all three downs. They are also looking for guys who are multi-dimensional out of the backfield, guys who can run between the tackles and also provide value in the passing game. Sanders can do both and is definitely a top target for the Bears. However, Sanders may not be there when the Bears pick, as he’s likely to go in the second or third round of the draft.
Mike Weber
Mike Weber is another Big 10 running back the Bears could target. The Ohio State product was a three-year starter and put up solid but not great numbers each year. His best year came in his freshman season, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. This season, he carried the ball 172 times for 954 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he also caught 21 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown. The reason for the lack of production was the stellar play of Dwayne Haskins. He threw for almost 5000 yards and 50 touchdowns on his way to a third-place in the Heisman Trophy voting.
General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy were in attendance at Ohio State’s pro day to watch Weber. They even took Weber to the side after the pro day and put him through an additional work out. Furthermore, Weber has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the Bears. The Bears are heavily interested in the Detroit native, as he also fits what they’re looking for in a running back. He isn’t expected to go until day three of the draft, so look for the Bears to pounce on the opportunity to select him.
Wes Hills
Wes Hills is a guy most people probably don’t know. He started out his college career at the University of Delaware, where he was a two-year captain who struggled to stay healthy. After his junior season, he transferred to Slippery Rock, where he had an absolute dream season. He rushed for a school-record 1714 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also had 28 catches for 193 yards. Those numbers got him invites to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, as well as the Reese’s Senior Bowl. He received MVP honors in the Collegiate bowl, after rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Ryan Pace has shown that he’s not afraid to draft small school guys. In the past two years alone, he’s drafted Bilal Nichols, Adam Shaheen, Cohen, and Jordan Morgan. These are guys who all came from small schools. Hills is a talented football player who fits what the Bears are looking for from there backfield. I find it unlikely that the Bears select Hills, but if the two above options are not available, Pace could take a chance on the senior from Slippery Rock.
Last Word on the Running Backs
Even with the Bears having three running backs on their roster, they seem interested in adding another one to their squad. They’re looking for a specific player type too. They want guys who show versatility and are multi-dimensional in their games. Mike Weber seems like the most likely option at this point. If Miles Sanders slips they could end up selecting him. Or, if both Sanders and Weber get selected, they could go after the small school guy in Hills. Whatever the case may be, it will be intriguing to see where the Bears go when it comes to the running back position.
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