Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos Preseason Week 1: 5 players to watch

4. Tarik Cohen, RB

In the fourth-round of the 2017 NFL Draft (119th pick overall), the Chicago Bears selected the all-time leading rusher in MEAC conference. Tarik Cohen was an incredibly productive running back at North Carolina A&T, piling up video game numbers and taking home three consecutive conference player of the year awards.

Cohen is an impressive player who was clearly a weapon in college. He has a fantastic natural skillset that is intriguing at the next level. However, there are two obvious questions about his game.

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First, his competition level in college. Sure, Cohen dominated the MEAC, but he was not exactly going against NFL-caliber athletes on a consistent basis. Was he simply beating up on poor competition? That question is impossible to answer right now but we will start to find out soon.

Also, there are obvious concerns about his size. Listed at 5-foot-6, 181 pounds, Cohen may not be able to hold up to the pounding of the NFL. Darren Sproles is the obvious comparison for Cohen, but even Sproles is much stockier than him on the field. Simply put, there are not many running backs who have had NFL success at Cohen’s size.

He has obvious things working against him, but Cohen is undoubtedly a special player with the ball in his hands. He has fantastic natural speed and quickness that allows him to start and stop on a dime. Cohen can make you miss with a quick move and leave you in the dust with his breakaway speed.

He also shows soft hands and strong route running skills out of the backfield. While he will never be a full time back, I could easily see Cohen growing into a successful change of pace back for the Chicago Bears.

Tarik Cohen has a chance to be a real offensive weapon for the Bears. There are obvious concerns about his game and we will start to see if they are legitimate during the preseason action. Cohen is definitely a guy to keep an eye on against the Broncos.