Drafting a running back was technically accomplished by the Chicago Bears. However, it didn’t go the way many expected, or hoped. There were constant dreams of adding somebody from the 1st round for the first time since 2005. When that didn’t come to pass, it felt like the 2nd round was the perfect time to strike. Yet after three picks, it didn’t happen. Instead, Chicago went wide receiver, offensive tackle, and defensive line. Not until the 7th round did they finally meet the goal, selecting Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers.
It was anticlimactic for fans. After spending weeks thinking about Ashton Jeanty and TreVeyon Henderson, they end up with a guy who didn’t overly impress athletically and comes from a normally second-rate program. However, at least one person made it his mission to insist critics not ignore Monangai. While Greg Schiano is biased because he was the running back’s head coach in college, he insisted that people don’t fully grasp how good the young man is. So many of the little things he does can make a difference in tight games.
Schiano knows what he’s talking about with Kyle Monangai.
He isn’t speaking from a place of blind loyalty. The longtime head coach has considerable experience working with good running backs. He developed Ray Rice at Rutgers, who went on to make multiple Pro Bowls in Baltimore. Then he worked with the often-forgotten Doug Martin in Tampa Bay, who made two Pro Bowls himself. Schiano also spent time in Miami when they had Clinton Portis and Najeh Davenport. The man has a trained eye for running backs who can carry a team on their backs. Just because Kyle Monangai isn’t a premier athlete doesn’t mean he’s destined for failure. The NFL has many examples of average athletes excelling as running backs. David Montgomery was a recent example. Sometimes, all a kid needs is a chance
