Despite not having a pick in the first two rounds of the draft, the Bears moved up one spot to No. 7 in the NFL.com league power rankings.
"After some wheelin' and dealin' with the Patriots, the Bears tabbed David Montgomery (No. 73 overall) to join the mix after Jordan Howard's exit," analyst Elliot Harrison wrote Monday. "My colleague Daniel Jeremiah saw Montgomery as the second-best running back in the draft. Ultimately, Montgomery should be a more appropriate fit for Matt Nagy's offensive style than Howard was.
"The moment was so special that former Chicago center Olin Kreutz donned a Hawaiian shirt to mark the occasion. You'll find plenty of critics who've downgraded the running back position so much that they would automatically pan the Montgomery pick. Your friendly writer is not one of them."
Harrison ranks the Saints first, followed by the Patriots, Rams, Chargers, Colts and Eagles ahead of the Bears. The Chiefs dropped from second to eighth.
The Vikings are 12th, the Packers 16th and the Lions 20th.
