Chicago Bears: Running Backs to know for the 2019 NFL Draft
By Usayd Koshul
9. Bryce Love, Stanford
A year ago, had Bryce Love declared for the NFL Draft, he would’ve been the ideal mid-round value pick for the Bears. Unfortunately, Love decided to return to school and had a middle of the pack 2018 season.
In his final year at Stanford, Love posted 739 rushing yards and caught 20 receptions. However, in 2017, he had a breakout campaign which saw him post 2118 rushing yards. In 2018, Love’s best game came against USC where he rushed for 136 yards averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Unfortunately, throughout his college career, Love has been injured multiple times which is a major reason that he’s seen his draft stock take such a big hit. In Stanford’s final regular season game of 2018, Love was diagnosed with a torn ACL.
However, the good news with Love is that when he is healthy, he has the makings of being a running back who can handle a high volume workload. When in space, Love’s elusiveness allows him to make explosive plays.
Although some may consider Love to be a bit undersized (5-foot-10, 202 pounds), he can still be the type of running back that will be successful when sharing carries with a player like Tarik Cohen.
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Overall, Love seems to be the one running back in this draft class that due to durability concerns is going to slip in the NFL Draft. Ideally, if he’s available in the third round, then the Bears have found perfect value. However, if he slips to the fourth or fifth round, then he’s essentially a late-round steal.