Next Gen Stats Reveal Something Truly Amazing About Jordan Howard

The Chicago Bears, and their fans, are incredibly excited about the potential in former-rookie running back Jordan Howard. The fifth-round selection, out of Indiana, finished the season second in rushing and he only had 252 carries averaging 5.2 yard per. That total was better than Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL's leading rusher, who carved defenses up for 5.1 yards per carry on 322 total attempts. Originally expected to split carries with Jeremy Langford, Howard quickly rose to the top of Chicago's depth chart and stayed there. On his way to breaking Matt Forte's franchise rookie rushing record, Howard finished the season strong with two 100 yard games and had seven total.  He also chipped in seven touchdowns and only fumbled the ball twice. During the 2016 draft, Howard was said to be just like Arian Foster who was his official profile comparison. Scouted to have great vision and the ability to run through arm tacklers, Howard was considered one of the "most pure running backs" in the entire draft class. One of the biggest differences between Howard, the 150th overall pick, and Elliott, the fourth overall pick, was speed. At the NFL combine Elliott turned in a 4.47 second 40 yard dash which was over a tenth of a second faster than Howard's 4.59.... But, remember that whole pure running back thing we were talking about? NFL.com recently revealed something truly amazing about Howard's performance last season. According to Next Gen stats, recorded during the 2016 season by NFL.com, Howard reached the second highest top speed of any running back last year. Only Tevin Coleman of the Falcons recorded a top speed higher than Howard who reached 22.03 MPH for a 57-yard run against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. Howard finished that game with 118 yards and a 7.4 yards per carry average. Elliott, Howard's default draft day comparison, didn't even make the list of the top 20 fastest speeds of this past season. Does this mean Howard is faster than Elliott? Not exactly. Does this mean Howard is much faster than almost everybody thought during the 2016 draft? YES.  Everybody except Ryan Pace. Not only were all the GM's fooled who passed on Howard, his draft profile actually says he's a "one-speed runner" which couldn't be more inaccurate based on the top speed stat.

WEAKNESSES

Doesn't have sudden one-­cut ability and has to tap brakes to hit it downhill on outside zone runs. One-speed runner. Can be chased down by backside sprinters before getting to the second level. Takes big hits due to bruising running style. Scouts concerned about ability to stay healthy. Missed four games and parts of three others with knee and ankle injuries. Upright pads and narrow base leads to slips and balance issues when trying to make sharp cuts. Rarely factored into passing game at UAB or Indiana. It's now abundantly clear Pace bamboozled everyone after getting what appears to be an elite talent in the fifth-round of the draft. Chicago fans will look for that same foresight as they prepare to select third overall in 2017, their highest pick since 1972.