David Montgomery Has “Everything You Look For in a Running Back” and Other Bullets

Who needs coffee when you’re living on the buzz of the Bears getting a new running back?

This is what it sounded like when the Bears selected David Montgomery with the 73rd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwwrRaVnw1y/

Imagine getting that phone call and hearing an NFL general manager telling you: “I told you this was going to happen.” Chills.

And this is what it looked like when it became officially official:

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1121966500892565505

The Bears trading up to get a player they love who was among the highest-ranked at their respective position is just the latest example of Ryan Pace doing Ryan Pace things.

Six of the nine draft-day trades Pace has made have been to move up in the draft. Nice!

Leonard Floyd was Pro Football Focus’ highest-ranked pass-rushing outside linebacker on the site’s 2016 big board. Mitch Trubisky was PFF’s top-ranked quarterback a year later. Anthony Miller was an All-American receiver when Chicago traded up for him in 2019. Moving up to snatch Montgomery – the No. 2 RB prospect on the big boards of PFF, Daniel Jeremiah, and Bucky Brooks – simply fits the M.O. for this organization.

On the surface, the Bears look like they got a steal in Montgomery. Jeremiah ranked him 43rd on his final ranking of top-50 prospects. Sliding up to choose a top-50 prospect with the 73rd overall selection seems like a solid use of draft capital. Jeremiah believes Chicago’s newest back “has an ideal blend of size, vision and short-area burst” and expects him to be the same “steady, consistent performer” he was at Iowa State once he arrives in the pros. That’ll work for me!

NFL Network teammate Bucky Brooks included Montgomery in a group of running backs with RB1 potential who could be Week 1 starters or immediately fill roles as rotational players. Along with Montgomery are Alabama’s Josh Jacobs and Damien Harris. For what it’s worth, Harris was the player the Patriots picked at No. 87. Another win-win trade for the Pats and Bears? I guess we’ll find out in due time.

There is so much to read up on Montgomery. You can check out his player profile over at The Draft Network, then read up on him in pieces by JJ Stankevitz (NBC Sports Chicago), Dan Durkin (The Athletic), Patrick Finley (Sun-Times), Kevin Fishbain (The Athletic), Brad Biggs (Chicago Tribune), Chris Emma (670 The Score) and James Neveau (NBC Chicago).

For what it’s worth, Bears players seem to love the pick:

https://twitter.com/Mtrubisky10/status/1121958697645871106

I love it! The moves are crazy! Can’t wait to work with him https://t.co/oCWLTQbnpF

— IG MikeDavisRB (@MikeDavisRB) April 27, 2019

https://twitter.com/charleslenojr72/status/1121991249500807169

So what did Pace see in Montgomery that pushed him to trade up and draft him?

Pace on @MontgomerDavid: “It’s everything you look for in a running back starting with his instincts, his vision, and his ability to make players miss.”

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 27, 2019

#Bears GM Ryan Pace on David Montgomery: "Outstanding production, vision, instincts. He's elusive in the hole. He has unbelievable character. Everyone is excited. He's just a good well-rounder player."

— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) April 27, 2019

Ryan Pace said of David Montgomery: "This guy really checks all the boxes for us, not only as a player but as a person."

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 27, 2019

Pace: “You can definitely tell his desire to be great. You can feel that when you meet him and you can tell that when you watch him play, to be honest.”

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 27, 2019

A scouting report from Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register, who has a ton of eyes-on experience watching Montgomery at Iowa State:

What are the Bears getting with David Montgomery? @RandyPete has an in-depth scouting report. https://t.co/YmGDwY6Wse

— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) April 27, 2019

Being hilariously hard to tackle seems like a good trait to have:

New Bears running back David Montgomery: hilariously hard to tackle. (via @PFF_Sam) pic.twitter.com/trMSi7Os2o

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 27, 2019

Montgomery’s versatility isn’t limited to rushing and receiving out of the backfield. It turns out he can sling it, too:

David Montgomery was a dual-threat QB in high school before playing RB at Iowa State. #Bears

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) April 27, 2019

Given a clean bill of health throughout the duration of his rookie deal, Montgomery is *TOTALLY* throwing a touchdown pass at some point. Sandwich bet?

Juke jam:

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1121973885447147520

I love when family members pass down the history of the game to children:

David Montgomery says he watched Walter Payton videos as a kid. His grandfather showed them to him.

— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) April 27, 2019

Nothing like seeing it with your own eyes:

Ryan Pace saw David Montgomery live at the Alamo Bowl, where he said the new Bears RB’s athleticism stood out. Montgomery had 124 yards rushing and a 53-yard reception vs. Washington State.

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) April 27, 2019

This is a fun comp:

My comp for David Montgomery is Michael Turner.

— dan durkin (@djdurkin) April 27, 2019

Michael Turner rushed for 1,300+ yards three times, scored 10+ touchdowns in five straight seasons from 2008-12, led the league in carries twice, made two Pro Bowls, and was a first-team All-Pro in his first season as a full-time RB1. If Montgomery put together that type of résumé for the Bears, you’d take it … right?

The Bears are just going to be throwing waves of running backs at defenders until they say uncle:

Pace on roles in backfield with Montgomery, Cohen and Davis: "We envision a scenario where they're all contributing in different areas."

— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) April 27, 2019

Ah, yes. A perfectly reasonable explanation for why trading up was necessary:

#Bears GM Ryan Pace on RB David Montgomery: "His name was sticking high enough on our board where we wanted to make sure we got him. We didn’t want to risk him going off before our pick."

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) April 27, 2019

My default is to not be up in arms when a team trades up for a player they like because fortune favors the bold and my fanhood has been scarred by my favorite teams sitting on their hands and hoping a particular player falls to their spot. Part of me will never forgive the Bulls for not trading up to draft Dwyane Wade (because they didn’t want to part with Donyell Marshall!) and getting stuck with Kirk Hinrich in the process. And while Kyle Fuller has turned into a standout defender in the Bears’ secondary, Phil Emery’s unwillingness to trade up for defensive tackle Aaron Donald (who went one pick before Fuller) still irks me. Trading up for a premier prospect is good process. Soon, we’ll see if a good result comes of it.

A deeper and different perspective:

Guess what, the Bears are *NOT* done just yet. They’ve still got picks coming up. The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain has an idea what they can do with them:

Day 3 names…#Bears
CB: Julian Love, Isaiah Johnson, Ka’dar Hollman, Saivion Smith
TE: Foster Moreau, Alize Mack, Dax Raymond
S: Amani Hooker, Deionte Thompson, Malik Gant, Evan Worthington, Mike Bell
OLB: Christian Miller, Jalen Jelks, Maxx Crosby, Justin Hollins, Jamal Davis

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) April 27, 2019

The second round of the 2019 NFL Draft is in the bookst, but the Chicago Bears already had their pick in hand before it had even started:

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1121868303507628032

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