Would Iowa State running back David Montgomery fit with the Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears are in the market for a running back this draft season but lack a lot of draft equity. While they will have to wait until at earliest the third round to bring in a potential future running back, it is also tough to assume who will and will not be there with this years running back group.
While David Montgomery appears to be a player many expect to be taken in round two, if he were to fall to round three would he be a good fit? What does the Iowa State running back bring to the table?
Strengths
Montgomery is a player who can see the field for all three downs. He has the size and durability to bang between the tackles. He can pass protect and catch footballs out of the backfield.
Montgomery has good vision and understanding of blocks and is a crafty runner who can use a combination of agility and power to find his way into the next level. More than any back in this draft he could be presented as the most pro-ready with a pretty high floor attached to it.
Weakness
David Montgomery comes off as a player who is good at everything but not necessarily great at anything. He is not going to be the fastest back, and breaking runs into the second level was not his thing.
He can break arm tackles, but is not a goal line, power back. Montgomery worked out of the backfield but did not necessarily run routes down the field. A lot of his college accolades can be attached to durability and volume, and while that present his high floor, it comes with a lower ceiling than others in this draft.
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Skinny
A lot of people will compare David Montgomery to Kareem Hunt, but that title may go to Darrell Henderson, who we profiled as well. The big difference comes to vision and balance. Hunt and Henderson are two players who are able to make cuts while maintaining speed up the field. It allows them to string cuts together and break runs into the open field.
Montgomery has a juke move that reminds many of Hunt, but does not consistently maintain his balance. He struggles to put moves together and break runs into the open field. It can show in Henderson holding an 8.2 yards per carry rate compared to 4.7 for Montgomery. For comparison Hunt averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
If either Henderson or Montgomery were to fall into the third round, the Chicago Bears would be enticed. The combination of power and receiving ability is exactly what they are looking for in their future backs.
While it is nit picky, I would prefer Henderson, but the high floor of Montgomery fits the Super Bowl window of the Bears and would get no ill reaction from this site.