Chicago Bears: The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Shrine Game offer draft intrigue

It’s clear that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace need more out of the running back position.

That much was obvious at the end of the season presser on Monday. Kareem Hunt’s name popped up and Jordan Howard suddenly has found himself on the hot seat.

Either way, the Bears might be looking for backfield depth this Spring. What better way to do so than by using a late round draft pick and saving money on free agents? Both games on Saturday offer plenty of intriguing prospects. Here are a few:

Ty Johnson, University of Maryland: Johnson is third all-time for multi-purpose yards in Terps history (4,196). He definitely has a future in special teams as 1,194 of those yards came from kick returns. Similarly to Cohen, he could be seen as a big-play threat kind of player who may be able to contribute early. Dane Brugler of ‘The Athletic’ thinks he produces more at the NFL level than he did at College Park.

Nick Brossette, Louisiana State University: Brossette has had to follow in the footsteps of Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice (not an easy task). But he got to the Shrine Game for a reason. He was tabbed as a team captain as his lone season as the starter, tallying 1,039 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns. However, he doesn’t offer much as a receiver (14 catches, 77 yards), which may limit him at the professional level. That could also be a product of the LSU offense.

Travon McMillian, University of Colorado: McMillian was a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech and had a nice little run (no pun intended) in Blacksburg (449 carries, 2,158 yards, 16 scores). At his lone season at Boulder, he totaled 1,009 yards and seven scores. Following up Denver Broncos rookie stud, Phillip Lindsay, McMillian did a nice job filling the void in 12 games. He has shown a modicum of passing game flexibility (49 catches, 475 yards, eight TDs) in his college career.