NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein's favorite pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft was the Bears' selection of Indiana running back Jordan Howard at No. 150 overall.
"I'm sure there were some concerns about the injuries that Howard sustained during the season, but he is a talented runner who can handle the heavy lifting for Jeremy Langford," Zierlein wrote.
Bears running back Jordan Howard was NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein's favorite pick in the fifth round.
Howard rushed for 1,213 yards and nine touchdowns on 196 carries and caught 11 passes for 106 yards and one TD last year at Indiana despite missing four games with ankle and knee injuries.
In back-to-back games late in the season, Howard rushed for 174 yards against Iowa and 238 yards versus Michigan, the second most ever by a Wolverines opponent.
The 6-foot. 230-pounder played his first two collegiate seasons at Alabama-Birmingham in 2013-14 before transferring to Indiana after UAB disbanded its football program.
Appearing in 23 games with 16 starts in two years at Alabama-Birmingham, Howard rushed for 2,468 yards and 15 TDs on 451 attempts and caught 13 passes for 155 yards and two TDs.
Zierlein's favorite picks in the other rounds of the draft were Mississippi tackle Laremy Tunsil in Round 1 (13th overall by the Dolphins), Pitt receiver Tyler Boyd in Round 2 (55th by the Bengals), Texas Tech tackle Le'Raven Clark in Round 3 (82nd by the Colts), Western Kentucky Tyler Higbee in Round 4 (110th by the Rams), Southeastern cornerback Harlan Miller in Round 6 (205th by the Cardinals) and Clemson receiver Charone Peake in Round 7 (241st by the Jets).
