Why Eric Bieniemy Will Determine If Bears Take Ashton Jeanty

Ben Johnson assembled the best coaching staff he could in January and February. While defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, wide receivers coach Atwaan Randle El, and secondary coach Al Harris get most of the love, running backs coach Eric Bieniemy might be the biggest steal. Prior to his unfortunate setbacks in Washington and UCLA, he had a glittering reputation as a running backs coach in Minnesota and Kansas City. One could argue he was the best in the business. Part of the job isn't just developing players. It is identifying who the special ones could be.

Chicago faces a conundrum with their 10th overall pick. Many feel they are a prime landing spot for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. The Chicago Bears have some rough recent history with 1st rounder at that position. Rashaan Salaam, Curtis Enis, and Cedric Benson were all taken in a 10-year span between 1995 and 2005. All were busts. Bieniemy knows a thing or two about 1st round running backs, too. He saw an all-time flop with Ki-Jana Carter in Cincinnati. Then he saw an all-time great arrive in Minnesota with Adrian Peterson.

If anybody can instruct the Bears on the possible pitfalls of taking Jeanty, it's Bieniemy.

Eric Bieniemy knows which red flags to look for.

It wasn't hard to determine with Carter. Despite his incredible success at Penn State, people should've noted that it came despite never truly being a heavy workhorse in the offense. In either of his seasons as a starter, he never eclipsed 200 carries. That should've raised concerns about whether his body could handle a full workload in the NFL. Sure enough, his career was marked by several devastating injuries. By contrast, Peterson did it twice at Oklahoma. His only health setback was a broken collarbone in a freakish accident.

The same was true of Maurice Jones-Drew, who Eric Bieniemy coached at UCLA. He never eclipsed 200 carries there and ended up going in the 2nd round. That was a much smarter risk to take. So, is Jeanty worth it? Yes. He cleared the 200 mark twice at Boise State, never missing a single game in the process. He's proven his body can take the pounding without breaking down, and the production speaks for itself. Unless there is some character red flag that emerges during interviews, Bieniemy is certain to give the Bears a green light.