This Chicago Bears draft has been full of surprises, and here’s the latest:
We’ve chosen North Carolina A&T RB Tarik Cohen in the 4th round (#119 overall) of the #NFLDraft.
Welcome to Chicago! pic.twitter.com/W8MEVdSEGr— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 29, 2017
And for the third straight draft, GM Ryan Pace has unearthed a diamond-in-the-rough type running back late in the NFL Draft. It’s not as if the Bears were in desperate need for a running back, nevertheless Tarik Cohen joins Jeremy Langford (4th round, 2015) and Jordan Howard (5th round, 2016) what is starting to become a crowded backfield.
Cohen measured at 5-foot-6, 179 pounds, but was one of the most explosive running backs at the FCS level as he averaged 7.5 yards per carry en route to gaining 1,588 rushing yards. He was a pretty dynamic pass catching running back, too, hauling in 37 passes at an average of 9.2 yards per reception. Cohen gained more than 1,000 rushing yards in each of his four seasons at North Carolina A&T and scored 59 total touchdowns – 56 coming on the ground.
While his frame won’t allow him to take the kind of pounding a traditional every down back receives, his athleticism and speed allows him to make big plays in the open field. And any time you can pick a player who compares favorably to Darren Sproles, you take him – right?
It will be interesting to see where he fits in the Bears running back room, especially after the team added Benny Cunningham to the mix in addition to Howard, Langford, and special teams standout Ka’Deem Carey.