Chicago Bears draft: Running backs that could replace Jordan Howard

Kalen Ballage, Arizona State

We can talk about guys like Saquon Barkley until we’re blue in the face and how he’s a generational talent, how we have to disregard everything we think about running backs with him, etc.

And to be fair, he might actually be that good. He certainly looks like he has some rare qualities in a running back, without a doubt.

But Ryan Pace will not take him in the first round, especially not in the top 10. He has shown that he prefers to mine running back talent in the middle-to-late rounds. Jordan Howard (fifth-round pick in 2016) and Tarik Cohen (fourth-round pick in 2017) are examples of that.

This year, talents like Ballage falling into the middle rounds could tempt Pace to go back to that well once again.

Right now, the 6-foot-1, 228-pound Ballage sits as a projected Day 3 pick. But with the performance he put up at the NFL Combine (4.46-second 40-yard dash, 6.91 three-cone drill), he could very well go a bit higher.

As an overall weapon, Ballage might be one of the more intriguing backs in this class. Simply, just get him the football in as many ways as you can think of in space, and let him work.

Furthermore, while he has the speed and smooth footwork you like in a pass-catching back, Ballage also has the size and body type to grow into a role as more of a workhorse.

In order to reach that point, though, he’ll need a ton of seasoning. He doesn’t have the polish you want in an every-down back right now, especially in terms of his field vision. That might explain why he got just 450 rushing attempts in college.

But if you want an upside project in the middle rounds that can develop into more — do you even have to ask with Pace? — Ballage could be a monster if whatever coaching staff he works with can mold that explosive ability.

With the Chicago Bears really digging their coaching staff right now, maybe they could be that group.