David Montgomery Picked for Top 5 To Win Rookie of the Year

Think about this. NFL.com released their top 25 list of rookies who are in the best position to succeed in 2019. The top five of that group are viewed as the likely candidates to win Rookie of the Year. Among them include Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa, Ed Oliver, and Devin Bush. All four of those players are top 10 picks. So who's #5? That would be David Montgomery.

That's right. The new Chicago Bears running back, a 3rd round pick, is viewed as a heavy favorite to challenge for the top rookie honor in the league. Something that hasn't happened for this team since 2001 when Anthony Thomas took home the honor. Most would agree that Montgomery has significantly more upside than Thomas did too.

This seems to be just further proof that GM Ryan Pace is a step ahead of everybody else. He continues to prove that he knows where to find value in the draft where others may be taking it for granted. Montgomery may not be blazing fast and comes from a less respected program. Yet the tape doesn't lie.

"5) David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears: We're riding the Montgomery hype train with colleague/conductor Adam Rank. This former Cyclone breaks tackles with the best of 'em and has one of the league's better offensive lines in front of him. As long as Matt Nagy is willing to lean on him, he's going to do work."

David Montgomery could be perfect example of scheme fit importance

The running back position has undergone a massive transformation in the past 20. Back then it was still the era of the feature backs who were needed to carry a load of 25-30 times a game. Wear the defenses out and then break them in the 4th quarter. More than ever this new era of offense is about scheme fits. Coaches want backs who can do the things that make their system work.

Montgomery is the perfect example. Speed is less important than vision, contact balance, and versatility to pass protect and catch passes out of the backfield. The more ways the back can stress a defense's thinking process, the more dangerous the offense becomes. There is plenty of logic to this idea. Never mind the fact that Montgomery is also a really good football player.