{"id":214098,"date":"2025-07-17T11:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/214098\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:46:11","slug":"can-rookie-rb-kyle-monangai-contribute-right-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/214098\/","title":{"rendered":"Can rookie RB Kyle Monangai contribute right away?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-one running backs were selected in the 2025 NFL draft ahead of Kyle Monangai. Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected Monangai in the seventh round<\/a> (233rd overall) with the team\u2019s final pick.<\/p>\n

Monangai comes to Chicago following back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons with Rutgers. He joins a backfield that returns starter D\u2019Andre Swift and last year\u2019s No. 2 option, Roschon Johnson.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Bears fans need to know about Monangai before rookies report for training camp Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How did he get here?<\/p>\n

There was a ton of chatter surrounding the Bears and the running back position ahead of the draft. Would Boise State star Ashton Jeanty<\/a> fall to the Bears at No. 10? Would Poles consider trading up? What about potential second-round options \u2014 Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins?<\/p>\n

In the end, the Bears landed none of those players. The asking price to move up for Jeanty proved too steep<\/a>, and the Las Vegas Raiders picked him at No. 6. Hampton went late in the first round, and Henderson and Judkins were selected early in the second ahead of the Bears\u2019 picks.<\/p>\n

So the Bears pivoted. They waited until the seventh round<\/a> to take a back in Monangai.<\/p>\n

Where did he come from?<\/p>\n

Monangai grew up in New Jersey and went to Don Bosco Prep, a powerhouse football program. He was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of high school. Rutgers was one of only a handful of FBS scholarship offers, and it was his only Big Ten offer.<\/p>\n

Monangai\u2019s story at Rutgers was one of patience. He barely saw the field his first two seasons while playing behind future Kansas City Chiefs seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco. In 2022, Monangai was the team\u2019s leading rusher with 445 yards, but the Scarlet Knights had one of the Big Ten\u2019s worst offenses.<\/p>\n

\"RutgersRutgers running back Kyle Monangai runs past USC cornerback John Humphrey on Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Kyusung Gong\/AP)<\/p>\n

Monangai\u2019s patience was rewarded during his final two seasons. In 2023, he led the Big Ten in rushing with 1,262 yards \u2014 ahead of even Michigan All-American Blake Corum.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, 2023 was his breakout year,\u201d Rutgers running backs coach Damiere Shaw said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, Kyle, you\u2019re coming back, you\u2019ve got to do it again. This one\u2019s harder when you\u2019re not catching anybody by surprise.\u2019 What\u2019d he do? He did it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024, he finished second in the Big Ten with 1,279 rushing yards (behind Iowa\u2019s Kaleb Johnson) while finding the end zone 13 times.<\/p>\n

Why did the Bears draft him?<\/p>\n

The predraft chatter surrounding the Bears and running backs was warranted. Despite returning Swift as the lead back, they simply didn\u2019t have enough depth at a position that frequently deals with injuries.<\/p>\n

In drafting Monangai, the Bears added a productive college player to a group that included Swift, Johnson, Travis Homer and Ian Wheeler. In his second season in 2024, Johnson averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. Homer is primarily a special teams player, while Wheeler missed his rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee<\/a> in the preseason finale. The Bears also added undrafted rookie Deion Hankins after the draft.<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears rookie outlook: Can 2nd-round pick Shemar Turner harness his fire and earn snaps on the D-line?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a real path to playing time if Monangai can impress during camp. He already caught coach Ben Johnson\u2019s eye during minicamp in June. Asked to highlight players who stood out, Johnson mentioned four \u2014 including Monangai.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle Monangai has really stepped up,\u201d Ben Johnson said. \u201cI appreciate the attention to detail and the pride he takes and how quickly he\u2019s picking things up.\u201d<\/p>\n

What his coaches said
\n\"BearsBears quarterback Caleb Williams hands off to running back Kyle Monangai during practice at Halas Hall on June 3, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Shaw, the Rutgers running backs coach, has a favorite Monangai moment from last season. It wasn\u2019t a touchdown run or a broken tackle. Late in the year against Michigan State, the Spartans had shown an exotic blitz just once all season. When they showed a similar look against Rutgers, it was Monangai \u2014 not the quarterback or center \u2014 who recognized it and called it out to teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he saw the look, he observed for a second and he went up and changed the protection,\u201d Shaw said. \u201c(He) told the quarterback, \u2018Hey, no we\u2019re going to get into this protection.\u2019 Told the O-line, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to slide to this guy,\u2019 and he picked up exactly the guy who was going to be free.\u201d<\/p>\n

If not for Monangai, Shaw thinks Michigan State\u2019s pressure likely would have blown up the play.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t see running backs change protections like that,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n

Shaw raved about Monangai\u2019s preparation \u2014 not only studying the opponent but also taking care of his body. That\u2019s especially important for a back who plays a physical style. Shaw believes Monangai\u2019s physicality will translate immediately to the NFL. Beyond that, he\u2019s a precise and decisive runner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no wasted movement with Kyle,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cYou watch his film: One step here, boom, he\u2019s vertical. One step there, boom, he\u2019s vertical. He was decisive, he knew exactly what he was looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

What he said<\/p>\n

Monangai is OK with flying under the radar. He\u2019s not the type who keeps a list of the players drafted before him.<\/p>\n

In fact, it\u2019s the opposite: He said he doesn\u2019t care \u2014 he\u2019s so used to being overlooked that it doesn\u2019t faze him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never talked about in the top guys, usually, from Pop Warner to middle school, high school, college to now, even,\u201d Monangai said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a new space, not a new environment for me, it\u2019s a role that I embrace and take on. It\u2019s what, honestly, has made me the player that I am. It\u2019s given me the fuel, the motivation, to be the running back I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monangai is following in Pacheco\u2019s footsteps. Pacheco quickly emerged as the starting running back and helped the Chiefs win two Super Bowls.<\/p>\n

What he needs to prove during training camp<\/p>\n

Running back is a position in which it\u2019s possible to contribute right away no matter where you were drafted. Pacheco is a prime example.<\/p>\n

Swift is likely to remain the Bears\u2019 lead back, but if Monangai\u2019s physical and decisive style carry over to the NFL level, he could earn playing time. He needs to keep doing what he did at Rutgers \u2014 hitting holes quickly and being a productive pass blocker.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s going to earn snaps, it likely will be because he\u2019s outperforming Johnson. What happens behind Swift should be an intriguing position battle to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Twenty-one running backs were selected in the 2025 NFL draft ahead of Kyle Monangai. Chicago Bears general manager…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[1303,374,1035,692,391,2493,4903,7,2526,6,4077,1034,596],"class_list":{"0":"post-214098","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-ashton-jeanty","9":"tag-bears","10":"tag-ben-johnson","11":"tag-chicago","12":"tag-chicago-bears","13":"tag-chicagobears","14":"tag-dandre-swift","15":"tag-football","16":"tag-kyle-monangai","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-roschon-johnson","19":"tag-ryan-poles","20":"tag-treveyon-henderson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114868413141310248","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}