The Chicago Bears‘ 2025 draft class didn’t get going right away this season. However, they seem to have picked things up this past week. Luther Burden provided the spark with 101 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. Colston Loveland added a 31-yard reception. Shemar Turner finally got into the defensive rotation. Perhaps the one who was overlooked the most was Kyle Monangai. The 7th round pick has played a steady backup role at running back since the season began.
That said, he’s quietly been doing some good work with his limited opportunities. People will look at his stats (6 carries for 16 yards) and think he was a non-factor. That wasn’t true at all. Let’s go through some examples.
Kyle Monangai 6-yard run
What stands out immediately with Monangai is his lane discipline. He is not a dancer back there. The rookie surveys the blocking, picks a direction and goes. He gets north-south fast, which is not something D’Andre Swift is always known for. In a zone-blocking scheme, you need backs with good vision and patience to find the hole. Monangai has both.
8-yard run
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Here’s another great example. As Monangai gets the handoff, his eyes are already seeing how the blocks develop. He could’ve just gone straight ahead and tried to force his way forward. Instead, he sees a gap opening to the right and quickly plants his left foot to change direction, all without losing acceleration.
-8-yard run
This is the primary culprit for why Kyle Monangai ended up with a questionable stat line. As the Bears were driving towards a score in the 3rd quarter, he got another handoff. This time, Dallas played their gaps well. The rookie probably should’ve just gone down once it was clear he had nowhere to go, but that isn’t how he’s built. Monangai broke four different tackles by defenders trying to make a play. It didn’t work. Even so, his relentless drive was evident throughout the sequence.
4-yard reception
People don’t talk about these plays because they don’t make good highlights. That doesn’t make them any less important. Monangai didn’t do much receiving at Rutgers, so people felt he probably couldn’t do it. Yet he’s proven multiple times already that isn’t the case. He makes a somewhat difficult catch up near his facemask and makes sure to get what he can from the play.
Play action block
Most people remember this play for the outstanding job Williams did of reacting to a Cowboys defender in his face as he was coming out of the play action fake. He gets the pass off to Rome Odunze, who goes for a 1st down. They don’t see Monangai, after selling the fake, had the presence of mind to re-adjust his feet and pick up a blitzing Donovan Wilson on the back side. While Wilson would’ve been too late to reach Williams before the throw was gone, it was still a heady play by the rookie.
Not a lot of flash, but it’s obvious why Bears coaches like this kid so much.
