The Chicago Bears went into the NFL draft back in April with one goal. Find a running back who fits their system under head coach Matt Nagy. There was one problem though. They had no 1st round pick. In fact, they didn’t have a 2nd round pick either. Trades the prior year for Anthony Miller and Khalil Mack saw the team faced with a difficult situation. They had to somehow find a difference-maker with a 3rd round choice. A late one at that. Then David Montgomery happened.
The long odds didn’t stop them from doubling down on their goals. They traded dependable three-year starter Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles. Though he was a tough, determined runner his lack of versatility and looming contract issues made the move a difficult but necessary one. They signed former backup Mike Davis who’d had a decent year as part of a committee backfield in Seattle. Nobody took him seriously as a starter though. Everyone knew the Bears would grab somebody in the draft.
It was a matter of could they get somebody they wanted? The answer was yes, and it ended up being the exact guy they hoped for. Somebody who, according to Nagy while speaking with Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports, should’ve gone way earlier than he did.
“His strength is he’s very humble and he has zero expectations,” Nagy said. “We didn’t have a first-round pick, we didn’t have a second-round pick … and when he was sitting there, to us, he was a first-round talent.”
David Montgomery had all the traits of a 1st rounder except one
Go back and look at scouting reports leading up to the draft. Experts were almost universally in love with Montgomery. His size, his toughness, vision, strength, and quickness were all to be lauded. Better still he has a squeaky clean background with no off-the-field issues and a renowned reputation as a locker room leader. These are all qualities teams look for in a 1st round pick. So why in the world didn’t he go that high?
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Some will try to say it’s a devaluing of the running back position. That, of course, is garbage. Ezekiel Elliott went 4th overall. Saquon Barkley went 2nd. Running backs are still plenty valued in the league. The answer to this question is far simpler: speed.
The NFL is obsessed with players who can run fast. Speed means the greater potential for big plays. There’s no denying the truth behind this belief. However, many times in the past it’s been proven that speed is hardly a top requirement at running back. Still, Montgomery ran a pedestrian 4.63 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in February. That almost certainly put a ceiling on his draft stock.
While unfortunate for him personally, it proved to be a great blessing for the Bears. One they plan to take full advantage of.
