Wouldn’t it be something if the Bears were able to land a top-50 talent with a third-round pick? Sure, it seems far-fetched. But it’s not out of the question.
NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently shared an updated version of his top-50 prospects, and Bears fans should be familiar with some names on the list. And no, we’re not talking about the likes of Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa, Ed Oliver, or Josh Allen.
Running backs David Montgomery and Miles Sanders both appear in Jeremiah’s top-50, and with good reason. Both backs are highly regarded draft prospects and figure to be among the first players at their respective position to come off the board. And yet, neither is projected to be taken in the first 50 picks. Montgomery and Sanders ranked as top-5 running backs in this class, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. But when we took a deeper dive into Brugler’s top-25 running back rankings, both players were given a third-round grade. And that puts them right in the Bears’ wheelhouse (unless someone beats them to the punch and snatches them up before they go on the clock).
The Bears don’t have picks in either of the first two rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, so they’ll need to get creative if they want to get their hands on some of this class’ best prospects – even the ones projected to slip into the third round. And because GM Ryan Pace hasn’t been shy about trading up to get a player at the top of his wish list, we won’t rule out the chances of him doing it again despite not having much to work with as far as draft capital. Stay tuned, Bears fans. Because you never know what this front office has up its sleeve when the draft rolls around.