Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: David Montgomery, RB CHI

Name: David Montgomery

Position: Running Back

Pro Team: Chicago Bears

College Team: Iowa State Cyclones

Draft Status: Round three, 73rd overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

COMBINE REVIEW

• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 222 pounds
• Arms: 31 3/8”
• Hands: 9.25”
• Wingspan: 77 3/8”
• 40-yard dash: 4.63
• Bench press: 15
• Vertical jump: 28.5”
• Broad jump: 121.0”
• Three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle: N/A

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STRENGTHS

• Elite balance through contact
• High-character player and plays with extreme effort
• Durable – handled a feature back workload in college without injury
• Nimble footwork and fluid through cuts
• Asset in the passing game – runs good routes and has soft hands
• Confident and willing to pass protect

WEAKNESSES

• Lacks long speed
• Limited burst
• Average vision – not a true weakness, but not one of his strengths
• Averaged just 4.7 yards per carry throughout his collegiate career (mainly a product of his poor offensive line)

OPPORTUNITIES

The Bears were linked to a running back in this draft class after trading away Jordan Howard, which means David Montgomery should walk into a situation with immediate opportunity.

The oft-maligned Howard wasn’t a bad player, but he was certainly subpar as a pass-catcher, which limited the play-calling possibilities when he was on the field. Despite the presence of Tarik Cohen, Montgomery should get more opportunities as a receiver than Howard did.

Over the past three seasons, Howard averaged 259 carries, 1,123 rushing yards, and eight rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 36 targets, 24 receptions, 189 receiving yards, and 0.3 receiving touchdowns each season. Howard vacates 250 carries and 26 targets from the 2018 roster, which is an easy baseline to project for Montgomery.

THREATS

Following the trade of Howard, Mike Davis was the only in-house candidate to inherit the early-down role and should be expected to siphon some of Howard’s workload, even as the inferior talent to Montgomery.

Tarik Cohen is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league and will maintain a large chunk of his role from the past two seasons. However, now that Chicago has legitimate threats at the wide receiver position and a viable three-down running back, Cohen may not see the field quite as much as the previous two seasons (140 and 170 touches, respectively).

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

As mentioned in the “Opportunities” section, Howard vacates 250 carries and 26 targets from the 2018 roster. Typically, a drafted running back has to compete with the starter from the previous season, rather than walking into a situation where that player is no longer on the roster. While Cohen will play a significant role as a pass catcher and Davis should steal a few carries per game from Montgomery, he should operate as the workhorse of Matt Nagy’s offense right away.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

Given the influx of talent at the running back talent over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of committees at the position. With the truly elite players as clear exceptions, it is increasingly rare that running backs receive hefty second contracts. As a result, Montgomery’s value will be at its peak during his first four years in the league.

As a member of Andy Reid’s coaching tree, Matt Nagy runs a scheme that emphasizes the running back and produces solid fantasy finishes. Montgomery can be expected to perform as a high-end RB2 if he truly does inherit the majority of Howard’s workload, but it may be a stretch to project RB1 numbers for him, given the presence of Cohen.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

David Montgomery reminds me a lot of Kareem Hunt without any of the off-field concerns. Neither player has good long speed but both have terrific balance through contact and they are both assets in the passing game. Montgomery is an incredibly high-character individual that should instantly become a leader in the locker room.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

According to our Rookie ADP, Montgomery is an early first rounder in nearly draft. He comes in at fourth overall, behind just N’Keal Harry, Josh Jacobs, and Miles Sanders. Montgomery was drafted no later than sixth in any of the ten mock drafts run and went as early as third in one draft. In superflex or 2QB formats, Montgomery is highly unlikely to fall past the eighth pick, assuming both Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins jump him.

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