If the Bears are not going to be able to draft Ashton Jeanty and 10th becomes too soon to draft a back like Omarion Hampton, the question they face is when and who they decide is the next-best back.
Their only 30 visit lined up so far is for a third-down or receiver type of back who was originally a wide receiver, 5-foot-10 1/2, 194-pound Brashard Smith of SMU.
NBC Sports' Chris Simms has another name for consideration who he has rocketing up his chart.
"You turn on the film and go, 'Why is nobody talking a bout this guy?' " Simms said.
there is so much to love about UCF RB RJ Harvey's game
~ Phone booth creation vs unblocked DL/LB
~ Tempo behind pulling OL to maximize blocking
~ Juice and finish when given the second level pic.twitter.com/PdAAWKYo2U
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) March 14, 2025
The back is Central Florida's RJ Harvey, a player ranked by many well down their list and often regarded as a Day 3 pick.
Simms' running back rankings vault Harvey over players like Ohio State's duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, Arizona State's Cam Skattebo and Tennessee's Dylan Sampson.
In a loaded RB class, what separates RJ Harvey from many others is what he shows here: patience to set it up, vision to sense it, and then electric lateral cut-to-upfield burst. Harvey’s gonna pay big dividends to the team that bets on him in RD3. #nfl #nfdraft #2025nfldraft pic.twitter.com/bQqID5a8PW
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) February 13, 2025
"Can he be a superstar and run for over 1,000 yards as a rookie?" Simms wrote in his analysis: "I think there's that potential here. His body reminds me of J.K. Dobbins and Josh Jacobs.
"He has thick thighs that are Barry Sanders-ish. The thing that popped out to me is his jump-cut ability is as good as you will see."
RJ Harvey had himself a night 😴
127 yds | 4 TDs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xTPhHwCZ7E
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 8, 2024
Simms concludes by calling Harvey a breakaway threat who can help in the passing game, as well.
"He is a guy that plays faster than his 4.4 flat speed and can go 70, 80, 90 yards to the house," Simms said.
🔥 UCF RB RJ Harvey (@rjharvey07) runs with urgency and vision—and his IGA Score® confirms the juice is real.
With an IGA Score of 85.0, Harvey ranks in the 85th percentile among RBs. His in-game burst and finishing ability make him a headache for defenders.
⚡ Max Speed: 21.0… pic.twitter.com/ki3wzziUTl
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) March 27, 2025
Harvey is 5-foot-8, 205 pounds, and produced an outstanding, athletic combine. He had a 4.40-second 40 with a 1.57-second 10-yard split, a 38-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-7 broad jump, while bench-pressing 16 times at 225 pounds.
The 40 time was fourth-fastest among backs, while his broad jump was sixth and vertical tied for seventh.
2025 RB Class
RJ Harvey and DJ Giddens are two sleeper RBs in this historic class.
Noticed in my latest release I made error and didn't update consensus draft capital for Giddens. It is now updated, he is RB8 overall in this class.
RJ Harvey 3rd best EIG in class is HUGE! pic.twitter.com/J516ri37ju
— Elite Drafters (@Elite_Drafters) March 15, 2025
Harvey gained 3,792 yards rushing on 579 carries over four seasons, with a whopping 43 touchdowns rushing. He had 2,993 yards on 259 carries coming on his final two years. He had 61 catches for 70 yards and four TDs.
"I love this guy and I think he's flying way under the radar right now," Simms said. "I'll be shocked if you don't start to see RJ Harvey thrown into, at least, the third round."
When someone asks me who could be this year’s…Bucky Irving
Talented RB that falls to Rd 4
Tackle Breaking metric darling
Also a pass game weapon
My answer is… R.J. Harveypic.twitter.com/k4FNxF5CUu
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) March 27, 2025