Chicago Bears: 7-Round 2020 mock draft post-Senior Bowl
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 6. player. 840. Running Back. Florida. Lamical Perine
One of the overlooked areas the Chicago Bears need is help at running back. Yes, everyone knows how the running game struggled in 2019. An improved offensive line helps alleviate that.
What people overlooked while they bashed the offensive line was that the running game also needed a better backup for David Montgomery. Tarik Cohen is a good player and all but he isn’t a true running back. He is a gadget player who will alternate between running back and slot receiver and keep the defense off-balance. When he comes in as just the regular backup the defense focuses on him and he is too small to avoid tackles.
With a true backup, Montgomery can get some rest and the Bears don’t lose as much. This keeps Montgomery fresh for the fourth quarter.
Lamical Perine can be that backup. The Bears could go via free agency to pick up a backup but going through the draft is a more valuable way to go. Besides, they tried that with Mike Davis in 2019 but it didn’t work.
One of the troubles with the running game was getting yards in short-yardage situations. They couldn’t convert third and shorts or fourth and shorts consistently.
Perine helps with that. He runs hard and can either knock defenders over or takes them on a ride. Even when running into a wall of people, he has enough explosion to blow through the line.
He isn’t just a battering ram, though. He has good balance and is light on his feet. Also, he has good vision and sees the running lanes well. He is decisive and hits the hole without any delay. His vision helps him get away from defenders since he doesn’t possess elite speed. He has good burst and that helps with his quickness as well.
Perine wasn’t a featured back at Florida. In his career, he had 493 carries for 2,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. In 2019, he was involved in the passing game, making 40 catches for 262 yards and five touchdowns. He had 938 yards from scrimmage and scored 11 touchdowns overall in 2019. Not bad for a career backup.
In Chicago, he’ll be doing much the same. He is a dependable backup who will be a good asset for the running game.