Draft Prospect RB's Who Fit Physical Profile For Bears Offense

[AZBearsFan]

Durkin profiled Weber today but I don’t have a subscription to The Athletic. Can anyone share the highlights? 

[HuskieBear]

2 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

Durkin profiled Weber today but I don’t have a subscription to The Athletic. Can anyone share the highlights? 

almost a jack of all trades. decent speed, good receiving, good pass blocking, not really excellent in any area

strengths 

• fluid and efficient footwork through traffic (something howard strugged with)
• good cutting ability, with an effective jump cut and spin move on contact
• natural feet and good vision and patience to find cut back lanes
• low center of gravity leading to good contact balance
• tough runner in short yardage situations

Weaknesses

• ball security - fumbled 10 times, losing 5. 1/50 fumble/touch ratio
• play speed doesnt match his timed speed
• burst and explosiveness lacking at times

mid fourth, early fifth projection

[HuskieBear]

2 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

Durkin profiled Weber today but I don’t have a subscription to The Athletic. Can anyone share the highlights? 

side note: i'd highly recommend the subscription. they are always running specials, i think i pay $30/year

[abstract_thought]

Devine Ozigbo has some impressive tape and might be available in the 4th or 5th round. He's a big back with power, elusiveness, and some receiving skills, maybe lacking a bit of long speed but he tested well at his pro day. I think he was underused at Nebraska.

[G08]

Ya know... Elijah Holyfield runs with some MFing power. I know his 40 was terrible but man... I'd kick the tires on him late.

[soulman]

Are Chicago Bears top two RB prospects Devin Singletary and Trayveon Williams?

by Bill Zimmerman 1 day ago Follow @ZimmermanSXM

 

https://beargoggleson.com/2019/04/11/chicago-bears-top-two-rb-prospects-devin-singletary-trayveon-williams/

Are the Chicago Bears narrowing their running back targets in the NFL Draft to these two prospects?

Possibly the worst kept secret in the NFL right now is that the Chicago Bears plan to draft a running back later this month.

It was a pretty safe assumption that the Bears would be looking for a running back that better fits Matt Nagy’s offense dating back to the end of last year, but after Ryan Pace shipped Jordan Howard off to the Philadelphia Eagles, it couldn’t be more obvious.

Tarik Cohen is a change-of-pace different kind of back. Cordarrelle Patterson will get some looks at running back each game but isn’t a guy that will line up behind Mitch Trubisky regularly.

The only back that can do that right now is newly acquired Mike Davis. Davis had a very nice season last year for the Seattle Seahawks, but has never proven he can handle a season as a team’s featured back.

Matt Nagy has said he likes a running back by committee, but the Bears still need another viable back in the stable to make that a reality.

With the idea that the Bears will be addressing running back, and most likely with one of their first two picks, it’s worth noting who they have been focusing on during their draft preparation.

Aaron Leming tracks the Bears’ predraft meetings with prospects and here’s the breakdown.

Aaron Leming

 

✔ @AaronLemingNFL

Another off-season & another #Bears meeting tracker for draft prospects.

Feel free to tag me in tweets of meetings w/ players over the next few months, so I can update this.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j0ZN-IzZ9tu0b2FqKBiN9b3vnJgzNwafBnYNElB83oQ/edit?usp=sharing …

65

9:06 AM - Jan 16, 2019

2019 Chicago Bears prospect meeting/workout list

Sheet1 QB (COM = Combine, SRB= SR. Bowl),RB/FB (SHR= Shrine Game) (LOC= Local Pro Day),TE (WRK= Private Workout),WR (PRI= Private Meeting),OL (PHN= Phone Interview),DL,Edge,Linebacker,CB,S,ST,Local...

docs.google.com

You’ll see that the Bears have met with seventeen (!!) running backs so far this off-season. Of those 17, two of them have emerged each with a total of four visits with the Bears.

Those two backs are FAU’s Devin Singletary and Texas A&M’s Trayveon Williams.

Each of those prospects had a meeting with the Bears at the NFL Combine, at their pro day, and the Bears have also had a private meeting and a private workout for each of them.

Singletary’s tape is electric but he tested very poorly at the NFL Combine. Singletary did have an excellent 10-yard split despite a slow 40-yard dash. Nagy’s offense, quickness is far more important than straight speed so Singletary clearly could be a fit.

Trayveon Williams has the ability to catch out of the backfield, has quick feet but also shows some power and some ability to break tackles.

With visits with 17 different running backs and four visits a piece for Williams and Singletary, the Bears are clearly focused on running backs and these two prospects might just be the names to watch.

What’s interesting about these two backs is that both of them could be available in round four. That may mean that the Bears are planning on taking a best player available approach with the third round pick and use their fourth round pick to grab a running back.

The Bears have plenty of draft capital in 2020 and could use a mid/late round pick that they have next year to move up earlier into the fourth round to grab their guy if they choose. We know Pace isn’t shy about moving around in the draft.

The Bears have clearly been doing their due diligence. Now they just have to pick the right guy that can help the Bears’ offense and get this team to the Super Bowl.

 

 

 

 

[AZBearsFan]

23 hours ago, G08 said:

Ya know... Elijah Holyfield runs with some MFing power. I know his 40 was terrible but man... I'd kick the tires on him late.

Oh, totally. Even if he’s only ever a short yardage back I think he’d be GREAT at that, at a minimal cost. If his 40 gets him to go undrafted then trying to bring him in is right at the top of my list of UDFA targets. 

[soulman]

It seems like TWill and Singletary are getting most of the attention but I also posted a contrarian opinion column questioning Singletary as our pick.

I see both sides of the debate and it's possible in a private workout Singletary allayed some of the concerns that author had.  I can see where some like his pass drops could be a concern but as it was with Howard that can be fixed if all it takes is focus and repetition.

The other issue would be that he's not a breakaway back and therefore not a home run threat but is that what Nagy is looking for when he has Cohen and Patterson who are?  The media has focused on this and so have many posters yet we really aren't 100% sure of what trips Nagy's trigger.

I'm not necessarily stumping for Singletary over T Will or anyone else but I do find some traits that would be useful in complimentary RB one of which is his height to weight ratio.  He's like a bowling ball with some power and some moves who can get tough yardage out of only a small gap.  It's also easy to hide a 5'6" back behind 6'4"-6'6" OL and his short area burst is good so he's a reasonable short yardage and goal line RB.  We have those 9 rushing TD Howard had to replace and this kid scores TDs.  22 TDs last season.   He's high mileage but won't be used as a feature back so that's no biggie.

I many prefer T Will however he'll probably command a higher pick or possibly get picked before #87 whereas Singletary may well fall into the 4th or 5th round.  His Combine performance hurt him and he may not be a fit for as many teams but he could be the fit Nagy wants.  So I don't rule him out.

[abstract_thought]

Devine Ozigbo (Nebraska RB #22) vs. Northwestern (2018)

I see a guy with great feet, balance, burst, and power. He makes guys miss in the hole and in the second-level. He runs square and falls forward. He catches the ball well. Watching this guy's film, there's no way you'd expect him to be almost 6' and 230 lbs. And based on quotes from his coaches, his character is off the charts.

He reminds me of a young Marshawn Lynch.

[AZBearsFan]

9 hours ago, soulman said:

I many prefer T Will however he'll probably command a higher pick or possibly get picked before #87 whereas Singletary may well fall into the 4th or 5th round.  His Combine performance hurt him and he may not be a fit for as many teams but he could be the fit Nagy wants.  So I don't rule him out.

I’m fascinated to see how the RB class will play out in the draft, both because it directly impacts the Bears and because the analysts and experts are all over the place on pretty much everyone outside of Josh Jacobs who they have as a consensus top 40 pick. Depending on your chosen expert Sanders could go anywhere from mid 2 to mid 4, Montgomery late 2 to mid 4, Harris 3rd to late 4, Weber 3rd to 5th, Henderson mid 3 to late 4, T Williams 3rd to late 5th, D Williams late 3 to 6th, Singletary from late 3 to late 5, and Hill from late 3 to 5th. So looking at that there could be as few as 1 or 2 backs off the board at 87 or as many as 8 or 9. Clear as mud, but definitely explains why we’ve met with like 15 backs. 

[soulman]

4 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

I’m fascinated to see how the RB class will play out in the draft, both because it directly impacts the Bears and because the analysts and experts are all over the place on pretty much everyone outside of Josh Jacobs who they have as a consensus top 40 pick. Depending on your chosen expert Sanders could go anywhere from mid 2 to mid 4, Montgomery late 2 to mid 4, Harris 3rd to late 4, Weber 3rd to 5th, Henderson mid 3 to late 4, T Williams 3rd to late 5th, D Williams late 3 to 6th, Singletary from late 3 to late 5, and Hill from late 3 to 5th. So looking at that there could be as few as 1 or 2 backs off the board at 87 or as many as 8 or 9. Clear as mud, but definitely explains why we’ve met with like 15 backs. 

Exactly.  If Pace plans to follow his BPA approach and a player at another position he wants to fill falls to him he may want to take him.  If he has a half dozen backs on his board all of whom may work out as a supplemental back to Davis and Cohen he may feel far more comfortable grabbing that guy he had a 2nd round ranking on at #87 or even at #126 knowing he can draft a guy in round five who can still fill his need for a RB.

RBs are probably the most difficult of all positions to predict this year especially when there's a lack of top end talent but a wealth of mid tier talent.  Then you throw into that mix whose looking for a #1 lead back and who are the guys who could handle that role vs what teams lare more in the market for a #2 or #3 supplemental back and then who are the best prospects for that role in that specific teams offense?

Like the old saying goes "One man's trash is another man's treasure".  The guys Pace and Nagy have ranked highest may be perfect fits for us and poor fits for many other teams which would at least theoretically push them down farther in the picking order.  Knowing what we know about Nagy I think some backs we can eliminate completely but even then we'd be left with a half dozen or so who would fit.

What I'm finally adjusting to is that we're converting from a team whose offense has typically been led by a top ranked #1 RB to one where our backs will all be role players of a sort.  Given our rich history with HOF and All Pro backs that takes some getting used to.  This team won't have a Sayers, or a Payton, or an Anderson, or a Forte.  Instead 3 or 4 backs will contribute doing only what they do best.

That makes predicting a pick tougher and why as long as any back has some traits that can fit a need we have it's tough to eliminate them.  Even if we don't like their college production or style in this offense Nagy may find a fit for them on a more limited basis since they won't be a sole lead back.  So draft week is gonna be fun even when we don't pick 'til round three.  Rounds 3-5 are still a huge mystery.

[G08]

7 hours ago, abstract_thought said:

Devine Ozigbo (Nebraska RB #22) vs. Northwestern (2018)

I see a guy with great feet, balance, burst, and power. He makes guys miss in the hole and in the second-level. He runs square and falls forward. He catches the ball well. Watching this guy's film, there's no way you'd expect him to be almost 6' and 230 lbs. And based on quotes from his coaches, his character is off the charts.

He reminds me of a young Marshawn Lynch.

I like him quite a bit.

[Epyon]

On 4/13/2019 at 12:05 AM, G08 said:

Ya know... Elijah Holyfield runs with some MFing power. I know his 40 was terrible but man... I'd kick the tires on him late.

It's not just his 40 time, his 10 yard split on that 40 was absolutely atrocious (1.69sec)

I'd add, that's also a major reason I don't like Singletary (1.64sec)

The article this post links out to in the first post has all the data, and imo the data isn't at all good for a number of these guys...  I can live with height differentials, and I can live with less jumping explosion, but acceleration is just too critical, imo.

The only big data point that was missing was imo fumble rates..... but just filtering for acceleration and crosses a number of those guys off my list..

[AZBearsFan]

4 hours ago, soulman said:

RBs are probably the most difficult of all positions to predict this year especially when there's a lack of top end talent but a wealth of mid tier talent.  Then you throw into that mix whose looking for a #1 lead back and who are the guys who could handle that role vs what teams lare more in the market for a #2 or #3 supplemental back and then who are the best prospects for that role in that specific teams offense?

You raise an important point here (indirectly) - we don’t know what Pace and Nagy think we already have. We know Cohen is a complementary piece, but we have only assumptions as to what their plans or expectations are for Davis. If they think his 2018 Seattle workload is all they can expect from him then we probably need a back in the draft capable of a bigger load right away, and if they think he can be a 200-carry guy or maybe even more then their draft targets may be more Cohen-ish in terms of expected carries or longer term projections, with the difference being RB being arguably our top need or being maybe not even a top 3 need in their eyes (especially since viable backup players like Ware, Yeldon, Grant, Ajayi, etc. remain available in FA). We’ve looked at basically every draftable RB in some fashion, but what if that is to ID the best 5th-7th round RB, or a super long misdirection play away from our primary objectives elsewhere? After the long con with Mitch 2 years ago and then having Miller delete his Insta lists last year I don’t put aaaaaaaaanything past Pace which, by the way, is awesome. 

Edited April 15, 2019 by AZBearsFan

[G08]

1 hour ago, Epyon said:

It's not just his 40 time, his 10 yard split on that 40 was absolutely atrocious (1.69sec)

I'd add, that's also a major reason I don't like Singletary (1.64sec)

The article this post links out to in the first post has all the data, and imo the data isn't at all good for a number of these guys...  I can live with height differentials, and I can live with less jumping explosion, but acceleration is just too critical, imo.

The only big data point that was missing was imo fumble rates..... but just filtering for acceleration and crosses a number of those guys off my list..

Holyfield's numbers just baffle me, when you turn on the tape and watch his feet, he doesn't play like a 4.78 guy.