2021 NFL Draft: 5 under-the-radar steals from Day 3
By Sam Penix
3. Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears
It seems as if every year teams find quality running backs late in the draft, yet others still take them in the first round despite knowing full well the lack of early-round value with that position. The Bears found a quality starter in David Montgomery in the third round a few years ago, and could now have his eventual replacement on hand in Herbert.
Herbert is a 23-year-old rookie, didn’t break out until 2020, and has a very odd athletic profile, but he’s just a flat-out quality runner. He possesses excellent vision and patience and is a perfect scheme fit in the team’s outside zone system that seemed to work well towards the end of the 2020 campaign.
Herbert has a strikingly similar play style to Cleveland Browns superstar Nick Chubb. It’s unrealistic to expect Herbert to make that kind of an impact, but he is a starting-caliber back right now, and won’t be relied upon to shoulder that load as a rookie.
Selected with a compensatory sixth-rounder, Herbert provides excellent value, and many others like him prove that investing significant capital into a running back just isn’t a good way to build a team, since you can get good backs late on Day 3.