Chicago Bears: Alex Barnes offers dynamic skill set at running back

Alex Barnes is quickly rocketing up draft boards and could be a great fit at running back with the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears will be in the market for a running back in the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite their recent signing of former Seattle Seahawks running back and free agent Mike Davis, Ryan Pace and company will look to the Draft for a long term solution.

Whomever they select will pair with Davis and the explosive Tarik Cohen to give head coach Matt Nagy a stable of running backs with versatile skill sets. Nagy obviously is looking for players he can employ in a variety of situations to keep the defense off-balance and guessing.

One of the criticisms of Jordan Howard is his lack of production in the passing game. When he is in on obvious passing situations, defenses largely know he is a safety valve/dump-off option, and so the defense can essentially ignore him as a threat to catch the ball.

Therefore, the team is going to be looking for someone who possesses great vision, agility, and explosiveness, but also serves as a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield or split out wide as a receiver.

One potential option is Alex Barnes out of Kansas State University. Prior to the NFL Combine, Barnes may not have been generating a ton of buzz despite his fantastic tape. Though there were some who knew just how underrated he was, the rest of the world found out after he dominated the Combine.

Now, the junior out of Pittsburg, Kansas, is on everybody’s radar and likely rocketing up team’s draft boards. He’s a name Bears fans should get to know as he could find himself playing his home games in Chicago.