NFL Scouts See David Montgomery as a Special Player

While there are plenty of players Chicago Bears fans can’t wait to see on Thursday night, nobody is more anticipated than David Montgomery. The team’s top draft choice offered a tantalizing sneak peek of what he can do in the preseason opener against Carolina. A game where he ran three times for 16 yards, caught three passes for 30 and scored a touchdown in just one half of play. This after putting together a training camp that had fans buzzing.

It’s felt that he could be the missing piece the Bears didn’t have last year. A running back who can do it all. He can carry the ball 20-25 times a game and churn out consistent yards but also be a dangerous threat in the passing game. Something the Bears didn’t have last year. Jordan Howard was always a determined runner. His receiving skills though were never something opponents feared.

That should change with Montgomery. In fact, according to Dan Pompei of The Athletic, there are plenty of people around the NFL who feel the Bears not only found a guy who fits their system. They found somebody who has a chance to be great in this league. That’s what one scout told him when asking about the Bears’ running back position.

“I think Montgomery will be a special player,” Scout C said. “You see the 4.61 (40-yard dash) speed, but then he keeps making runs. He has outstanding vision. He is never off-balance. He has some power. He’s an all-star kid, makeup wise. Everybody at Iowa State raved about what he is made of. I think he’s going to become a favorite in that town. He has all the right stuff.”

David Montgomery may be another star victimized by the 40

Ask a bevy of good players in the league today who were 3rd round picks or later a big reason why they didn’t go higher in the draft. There’s a good chance that several of them will say three words: 40-yard dash. No drill has a greater sway on NFL teams when it comes to making personnel decisions and it’s not even close. If a player times poorly in the 40, they’re immediately viewed as not fash and therefore incapable of playing at the pro level.

Keenan Allen, the stud receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers was a 3rd round pick. Why? He ran a pedestrian 4.58. Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowler Yannick Ngakoue has 29.5 sacks in his first three seasons. He went in the 3rd round largely because he ran a 4.75. Kam Chancellor? The former All-Pro safety in Seattle fell all the way to the 5th round because he ran a 4.62. Make no mistake. No amount of positive film can completely withstand a poor 40 time.

This is what happened to Montgomery. Despite two amazing years of production and some outstanding tape, he still fell. Why? He ran a 4.63 in the 40. Fair or not, teams immediately thought “a bit too slow” and let him drop. True to form, Bears GM Ryan Pace believed they were making a mistake and traded up to get him. If these scouts are right, then this offense is ready to roll.