Bears round out draft with running back, cornerback and wide receiver

In Indiana's Jordan Howard, the Bears selected a running back in the fifth round (150th overall) who is different from any of those currently on their roster.

The 6-foot, 230-pounder is a bruiser. He beats down a defense with his physicality, size and strength as a runner. Against Michigan last season he carried 35 times for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns, a game that draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki referenced when he wrote of Howard: "So strong in the lower body that it takes a full defense to bring him down."

Howard rushed for 1,587 yards and 5.2 yards per carry in 2014 at Alabama-Birmingham before the football program there was dropped. Despite the disruption, he didn't miss a beat in the move to Indiana, rushing for 1,213 yards and 6.2 yards per attempt.

The transition wasn't as easy as Howard made it appear, but he made the best of it.

"It was crazy," he said of the UAB demise. "We had been hearing rumors that they might shut the program down, but when it actually happened, we couldn't believe it. We finally had a winning season and were bowl eligible and when that happened we were just crushed."

Crushing opponents has been what Howard does best. He has never been much of a factor as a receiver, and he won't run away from many defenders. But he will run over a few, which he believes will carry over to the next level.

"My size will benefit me well because a lot of time guys won't want to tackle me, especially after long games when we've just been pounding," he said. "Then they start diving (to make shoestring tackles), and then I can avoid them. I think it works very well for me."

Stocking up:

Despite using two of his three fourth-round picks on defensive backs, GM Ryan Pace went back to the secondary in Round 6 (185th overall) for William & Mary's DeAndre Houston-Carson.

The 6-foot-1, 201-pounder runs a 4.54-second 40 and was a starter at cornerback his first three seasons before moving to free safety as a senior and being named co-defensive player of the year in the Colonial Athletic Association.

He also blocked 9 kicks in his career.

"The main thing is just preparation and the film study," he said of his prolific kick-blocking. "And then just my position coach putting us in position to make those plays."

Finally getting noticed:

In the seventh round, the Bears went with Western Michigan slot receiver Daniel Braverman, who caught 108 passes for 1,371 yards and 13 touchdowns last year but didn't receive an invitation to the combine.

"I was frustrated because I felt I was left out," he said. "I feel I belong with all those receivers. So that was that. But you can't worry about what you can't control."

Asked how he spent his time while other players performed for NFL teams, Braverman said: "I was training. I was training this morning. It's just what I do."

He was under the radar of most NFL teams until very recently, when he was invited for visits by several teams.

"Maybe it was just someone really believed what they saw on tape," he said. "I have quick reactions, and I'm very shifty."

Against Ohio State last season, the 5-foot-10, 177-pound Braverman caught 10 passes for 123 yards, including a 55-yard TD.

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