Setting Rookie Expectations for Kyle Monangai
The Bears were expected to prioritize the running back position in the 2025 NFL Draft. Many shipped Ashton Jeanty to Chicago in the first round, and a large portion of those who didn’t thought the team would target a back early on day two.
Then the second round happened.
Three picks later, and no competition has been added to the RB room. Then they passed over more backs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth.
It began to seem like they were going to miss the opportunity to dip into the running back pool of one of the most loaded classes in recent memory. It didn’t make a ton of sense.
Then the seventh round happened.
“With the 233rd pick, the Chicago Bears select Kyle Monangai, running back, Rutgers.”
Relief. I was hoping for a running back with every pick, since Ozzy Trapilo was selected at 56 (Jeanty was gone by the time we were on the clock in the first round, and Burden was who I wanted at pick 39). D’Andre Swift isn’t terrible by any means. However, he also doesn’t excite me nearly as much as many of the backs in this year’s class did. Ben Johnson has also preferred a committee approach with his running backs, and Swift was relegated to change-of-pace duties in his lone season under him in Detroit. I’d honestly be surprised if he sees more than 65% of the touches out of the backfield this year.
There’s a chance that Johnson felt solid about the Bears’ running back depth. Maybe he didn’t hold Swift’s time in Detroit against him. Maybe he liked what he saw from Roschon Johnson, who hasn’t been used to the best of his abilities through two years, when he was coming out of Texas.
With that said, I think it’s far more likely that they were sniped multiple times throughout the draft. I’m not going to pretend to know what was going on in their war room. Still, I think either one of the Ohio State backs, TreyVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins, made sense for Chicago if they were available in the second round. I also think Cam Skattebo made sense in the fourth round. Those three were all taken within four picks of the Bears being on the clock (and Henderson was taken only one pick before they selected Burden).
I don’t think Chicago’s front office specifically went into the draft thinking they were going to land Monangai in the seventh round. If they were, then they need to try their luck in Vegas on the off-days, because many expected the Rutgers product to be long gone by that point. The 23-year-old might be somewhat of a consolation prize, but he’s significantly more talented than an average seventh-round pick.
The running back position has already gotten devalued to a point where teams have found late-round gems at the position much more often in the modern NFL. In Monangai’s case, he was also the victim of being buried in a loaded running back draft class. His combination of production and talent is more indicative of someone selected early on day three than it is of someone available as late as he was.
He led the Big Ten in rushing with 1262 yards in 2023 and followed that performance up with a 1279-yard, 14-touchdown season (in only 11 games) last year. Simply put, he was the engine that made the Scarlet Knights’ offense go, and he earned All-Big Ten honors in each of the past two years for his efforts.
Monangai has often been compared to Isiah Pacheco, considering their ties to Rutgers and the fact that they were both selected in the seventh round. I see some similarities in their hard-nosed running style, but I think Monangai’s playing style is actually more reminiscent of someone Bears fans and Ben Johnson have come to know and (previously) love: David Montgomery.
It’s hard not to see shades of Montgomery when watching Monangai’s tape. They both are much quicker than fast and have elite contact balance. He also has next-level shiftiness and a low center of gravity. Basically, he’s got the feet of Saquon Barkley, the vision of Le’Veon Bell, the strength of Ezekiel Elliott, and the athleticism of Sony Michel. The guy is just an all-around beast, and if you get that reference, so are you.
Seventh-round picks usually wind up on practice squads more often or not, but I genuinely don’t see that being a potential outcome for Monangai. He’s too talented, the room is too thin, and his new head coach has shown an affinity for the by-committee approach. I know I just said that I previously made the mistake of overvaluing late-round picks last week. But hey, I’m drinking the Monangai Kool-Aid.
The Rutgers product was a worthwhile dart throw at a bargain bin price. One that I think has a real chance to make some noise if he gets an opportunity. I don’t think he’ll be a Rookie of the Year candidate by any means, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he carves out a role for himself in the running back rotation. You can’t ask for much more out of your seventh-round pick, and I think it will look like one helluva value in a few months.
Projection: 110 carries, 480 yards, 5 TDs
PHOTO: David Banks/Imagn Images
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Categorized:Bears