Chicago Bears Draft: 5 Running back targets Ryan Poles must consider

UCLA v California
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Chicago Bears, Zach Charbonnet
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears RB Option No.2: Zach Charbonnet 

While most college football fans were in awe of Caleb Williams’ Heisman-winning campaign in 2022, there was another team in Los Angeles making noticeable strides as a program. UCLA’s rise can’t be accredited to a single player, but it’s hard to name one more vital than Zach Charbonnet. 

After transferring from Michigan, Charbonnet quickly found his footing with the Bruins. In the past two seasons, he has rushed for over 2,500 yards and 27 touchdowns. These numbers rival even the most productive running backs in Power 5 football. 

While Charbonnet lacks the ability to force missed tackles that others in the class might possess, he seldom goes down on first contact. According to PFF, Charbonnet had 806 yards after contact in 2022, good enough for 13th in all of college football.  

All in all, Charbonnet is a pretty complete and polished prospect. His emergence at UCLA shows that he is hitting his stride just in time for the NFL. 

Charbonnet’s high workload with UCLA has shown that he can be a bell cow when needed, and his all-around skill set makes him an easy plug-and-play at the next level.

This high-floor type of player would make for a nice to addition to Chicago’s offense

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