Why It's Time To Board The Bears O.J. Howard Hype Train

Just where in the world did the Chicago Bears O.J. Howard buzz originate? Okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch. In truth the team conducted a private meeting with the Alabama tight end. One of 30 they're allowed to have prior to the NFL draft. Considering he's one of the top prospects in 2017 class, it's only logical they'd want to meet with him. An option for the #3 overall pick though? Every traditional expert will say no way. Only certain types of positions are "allowed" to go in the top five. They are quarterbacks, pass rushers or offensive tackles. That's it. Anything else is way too big of risk or features a position with less impact value. Now a few decades ago this might've been true but the NFL has changed. Tight ends are considered more vital than ever to the success of a modern offense. In fact the Super Bowl has featured at least one team with a Pro Bowl tight end since 2011. The best ones are putting up 1,000 yards each year. This isn't a part-time contributing position anymore. That's why the Howard connection cannot and should not be ignored.

Explaining the Bears O.J. Howard origins

Matt Miller of the Bleacher Report is one of the most respected draft analysts going these days. He has a number of reliable team sources offering greater and greater clarity on what is likely to happen in the top five later this month. Chief among the interest notes. How the #1 and #5 picks already appear locked in place. More than that? The implications it could have for the options Chicago will have when they go on the clock.

"The top five picks in the 2017 draft are starting to come into focus. Myles Garrett, barring something unforeseen happening in the next four weeks, will be the No. 1 overall pick. The San Francisco 49ers are, according to a scouting source with the team, in love with Reuben Foster and Leonard Fournette if Garrett is gone. On the back end, the Tennessee Titans are said, by a scouting source, to be set on taking Ohio State's Marshon Lattimore with the No. 5 pick. If picks No. 1 and 5 are set, it becomes easier to figure out Nos. 2, 3 and 4."

Now the first challenge to this would be Lattimore might go before the Titans at #5. First of all, that is unlikely. Though he's the best cornerback in the class, the fact is no defensive back has gone in the top four picks of a draft since 1998. That was the year Charles Woodson, a Heisman trophy winner, went #4 overall to the Oakland Raiders. Lattimore is good but it can be safely said Lattimore is no Woodson.

The great conundrum for Ryan Pace

So presuming this rumor is accurate, it means everything hinges on what the 49ers will do at #2. Word is persistent that the team is very interested in trading back from that spot. Carolina is one option they've been connected to, who are developing an increasing fancy for LSU running back Leonard Fournette. Him or Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas. Don't forget the Panthers just traded Kony Ealy to New England. All that said it paints a clear picture: every quarterback in the 2017 class should be available when the Bears go on the clock. Even after signing Mike Glennon there is an ongoing urgency for GM Ryan Pace to add another talent to the depth chart. He's under an obligation to fix a position that has been broken for years. This would be their greatest opportunity in at least a decade. Miller indicated that is not impossible, but remains unlikely.

"The Chicago Bears could shock us all and go quarterback with the third pick. But as it stands today, it's looking more and more like the first quarterback (Mitchell Trubisky) will come off the board outside the first five picks."

By that same token, the #3 pick might also become a valuable trade chip. Some team may love the idea of getting the quarterback of their choice and Chicago would hold the golden ticket. Adding more picks is always enticing.

A safe bet?

Barring that though the Bears could just end up passing on a quarterback in favor of a player they few as "less of a risk." Given the current winds, the names involved include these men.

• DE Solomon Thomas
• DE Jonathan Allen
• S Jamal Adams
• S Malik Hooker
• TE O.J. Howard

All five of those names have been linked to the Bears in some form or another. All are widely considered some of the best players in the draft. Like Lattimore though, Adams and Hooker seem unlikely as defensive backs but also money considerations. Thomas and Allen would be more believable given how much head coach John Fox believes in pass rush value. The most interesting name though is Howard. He headlines arguably the richest and most talented tight end class maybe of the modern era. Not only is he big and strong, but also a freak athlete who can run and has soft hands for catching passes. Need a big play for a first down? He has that covered. Need a reliable blocker on the edge? No problem. The guy can quite literally do it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SfBCKv3NeI&t=9s It sounds crazy. Nobody takes a tight end in the top five. Well, that's not entirely true. In NFL draft history, a tight end has gone in that range three times. As it turns out the Bears were responsible for one of them when they took a young man named Mike Ditka fifth overall in 1961. Another side note? Every tight end ever selected in the top six picks has gone to at least one Pro Bowl in their career. So it's a much safer bet than other positions.

Making sense of it

Would Pace do it? He's already shown an affinity for taking great athletes early in the draft. Howard fits that bill in every way possible. Don't forget this critical stat nugget. Bears tight ends were targeted on 100 pass plays in 2016. That is clear evidence that offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains loves to feature that position in the aerial attack. It's why they signed free agent Dion Sims. Imagine if he and Howard formed a pair. Both can catch. Both can block. The creative possibilities would be near limitless. To say nothing of the fact that new starting quarterback Mike Glennon, wait for it, loves throwing to the tight ends. In 2013, when he started 13 games, tight ends were targeted 86 times. Don't let position erase player quality in this sense. Pace is about the best player available and there is no argument here. O.J. Howard is one of the best players in this draft. Period.