While the Bears have shown significant interest in running back prospect Devin Singletary throughout the pre-draft process, there was one thing he needed to show the team – and he believes he did it.
Singletary told NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread he has fully recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered at Florida Atlantic’s pro day three weeks ago. An untimely injury during this part of the pre-draft time period can tank a player’s draft position, but Singletary said his hamstring “felt great” and proved it on the field.
“I was able to open up, push off on it, do everything I knew I would be asked to do,” Singletary said. “I worked hard to get it right again before the draft. I didn’t want to come back too soon, but I wanted to be able to show more teams whatever they wanted to see again before the draft.”
A clean bill of health is good news for Singletary, who was one of the best draft-eligible college running backs in this draft class. It’s also a positive note for teams thinking about using a draft pick, selecting Singletary, and adding him to their backfield mix. And while that makes everyone a winner here, the biggest of them all could the folks in Chicago’s draft room.
No team has shown Singletary as much attention as the Bears, who have met with him at the NFL Scouting Combine, had him in town for an official visit, and traveled to have a private workout with him. Singletary clued Goodbread in on what the Bears’ workout entailed, with a particular focus on pass-catching routes in a brief session.
As we have touched upon a time or two on this site, Chicago appears to be a team that values versatility and a diverse skill set from its backs. If Singletary has shown the Bears the potential to do all that is asked of the team’s running backs while also proving he is fully healthy, then it’s possible the Bears’ interest in the FAU product could actually result in hearing his name called in conjunction with a middle-round draft pick when Chicago is on the clock.
Then again, the Bears have seemingly met with every running back prospect under the sun. So your guess is as good as any which running back prospect ranks highest on their draft board. But still … it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to believe Singletary is in the running near the top.