Jordan Howard ranked as the No. 9 player from the 2016 NFL Draft

Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard has been one of the league’s better running backs for the better course of two seasons now. In that timeframe, he has amassed 2,435 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns and a 4.6 yards-per-carry average. For the most part, though, a lot of the national media has always underrated him to some degree. He wasn’t voted into the NFL Top 100 last year, and it seems as though he will be snubbed again this year. When people talk about top-tier running backs, they rarely ever talk about Howard.

However, there seems to be some hope that his performance hasn’t gone unnoticed.

NFL.com analyst - and former No. 1 draft pick - David Carr recently conducted a list of the 10 best players from the 2016 NFL Draft. The list was predictably headlines by the likes of Carson Wentz, Jalen Ramsey and Ezekiel Elliott, all of whom have been among the best at their position for at least one year. The No. 9 spot, though, belonged to Howard.

Here’s what Carr had to say about him:

Howard has been spectacular in his first two campaigns, with more than 1,100 rushing yards in each. Seeing what new Bears coach Matt Nagy did with Kareem Hunt last season in Kansas City, it’s clear that Howard’s going to be in an excellent position to succeed.

Howard, the No. 150 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has clearly outplayed his draft status, and it’s encouraging to see the belief that he is one of the league’s best running backs spreading.

One thing that’s particularly interesting about this quote is the fact that Carr said that the arrival of new head coach Matt Nagy will help Howard. A handful of people have said the opposite, as they believe that his lack of versatility as a receiver makes him a bit of a mismatch in Nagy’s offensive scheme. Being one of the better backs in the league, though, Howard may very well end up proving doubters wrong, as he has done throughout much of his career already.