2017 NFL Draft Daily Chicago Bears Target: North Carolina A&T Running Back Tarik Cohen
The explosive and shifty Tarik Cohen is an interesting late-round 2017 NFL Draft target for the Chicago Bears.
Every day we are taking a look at a new 2017 NFL Draft target for the Chicago Bears. We are going deep for today’s prospect, taking a look at North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen.
Cohen was an extremely productive back in college, leaving North Carolina A&T as the leading rusher in the history of the MEAC conference (5,619 yards). Cohen also won the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year award three separate times and was named an FCS All-American in 2016. Simply put, he was a big-time playmaker on the football field.
Cohen is an explosive back who can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. However, he has one huge negative in his game — size. Cohen measured in at 5-6, 179 pounds at the combine. That kind of size typically does not play at the next level. However, Cohen has a special overall skillset that makes him an intriguing late round sleeper to think about.
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An extremely slippery and elusive runner, Cohen is ridiculously difficult to bring down in open space. He has fantastic short area quickness and elite-level start-and-stop ability. Also, despite being so small, Cohen is a relatively compact runner who has a bit of power behind his pads. He did a great job of bursting through arm tackles in college.
Cohen is also a strong receiver out of the backfield who can absolutely abuse linebackers who try to defend him in open space. There is an easy pro comparison here as watching Cohen will remind of seeing Darren Sproles flying all over the field. See for yourself in this incredible package of highlights:
Now, going from the MEAC to the NFL is about as big of a jump in talent as you can imagine. Cohen is a ridiculously elusive back with some power at that level, but in the NFL, everyone is special.
Next: Bears Complete Seven-Round 2017 NFL Mock Draft
Will his talents translate enough to the next level? That is impossible to say for sure. However, Cohen is an interesting prospect who is probably worth a late-round flyer. I could see the Chicago Bears showing some interest in him as a quick and elusive receiving back compliment to the powerful Jordan Howard.