Stock Down
David Montgomery
For purely personal reasons, none of the NFL rookies have been more disappointing for me than Chicago Bears rookie running back David Montgomery. If Josh Jacobs is the conductor of the rookie running back train, Montgomery has been the caboose so far this year. Montgomery was my highest-rated running back coming into the NFL Draft. He was also a personal favorite of mine, as I’m an unabashed Iowa State Cyclones fan.
Through seven weeks of the NFL season, it appears as though my fandom has clouded my judgment on Montgomery. Montgomery’s performance has been anything but worthy of the RB1 crown I bestowed upon him in NFL Draft evaluations. Montgomery has struggled to even see the field, let alone do anything with the ball once he’s on it.
Montgomery has only started three of his team’s first six games and has yet to see 70% of the snaps on offense. Montgomery does have 2 touchdowns on the season, but that’s about the only bright spot in his production, as the young running back has yet to rush for more than 70 yards. He’s also not doing much of anything in the receiving game, failing to exceed 30 yards receiving so far this season, with a season-high of 3 receptions.
To Montgomery’s credit, it’s not entirely his fault. The entire offense in Chicago is somewhat of a disaster. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky does not seem to be developing. Head coach Matt Nagy can’t seem to push the right buttons to breathe life into the offense.
Yet, when Montgomery does see the ball, he’s not helping himself, either. Montgomery’s poor performance failed to even qualify for an OSM grade this week.
Christian Wilkins
Many within the Miami Dolphins fan base criticized the team for taking former Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins with the 13th pick in last year’s NFL Draft. There were more pressing needs on the roster than a defensive tackle. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was still on the board and could have filled a gaping hole at the position. Even if the Dolphins wanted a defender, guys like Brian Burns were still available.
The pick made sense for the Dolphins, however, and fits the theme of what coach Brian Flores is looking for in NFL rookies. Wilkins came in as a guy who could be moved around and play various positions and techniques in Flores’s defensive front. Wilkins was a smart player who exemplified the attitude the Dolphins want to establish during their rebuild.
All of that went out the window Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, and it went quickly. It doesn’t get much more disappointing than getting thrown out of a game for throwing a punch at another player. Somehow, Wilkins managed to make it more disappointing.
Not only did Wilkins get rung, but he did so on the very first play of the game! Wilkins couldn’t even keep his composure for the first drive of plays.
Wilkins has had a frustrating rookie campaign, seeing his playing time dip from 80+% of defensive snaps in Week 1 to the low-to-mid 60s in subsequent weeks. Wilkins has yet to record his first NFL sack, quarterback hit, or tackle for loss. Frustrations bubbled over in a big way Sunday.
Chris Spooner is a Content Director & writer for PFN covering the NFL Draft. You can follow him @CSpoonerPFN on Twitter.