KM #25

Kyle Monangai

Running Back · Rutgers

A seventh-round pick out of Rutgers who outplayed his draft slot as a rookie, giving the Bears a physical complement in the backfield.

Kyle Monangai arrived in Chicago as the 233rd overall pick in the 2025 draft, a low-profile landing spot for a back who had just set program records at Rutgers. He quickly turned that afterthought status into a real role, pairing with D'Andre Swift to give the Bears a productive two-man backfield in his first season.

★ 2024 First-Team All-Big Ten (Rutgers)

★ Rutgers career record for touches without a fumble (669 carries, 38 catches)

★ 783 rushing yards as a rookie in 2025 despite being a seventh-round pick

★ Second-most rushing yards by a rookie in a single game in Bears history (176 yards, Week 9 2025)

Path to the league

Monangai spent five seasons at Rutgers (2020-24), appearing in 52 games with 35 starts and serving as a two-time team captain. He rushed 669 times for 3,221 yards and 27 touchdowns for his career, and the Bears took him in the seventh round of the 2025 draft, 233rd overall.

Career highlights

Monangai earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 after rushing for a career-high 1,279 yards, the second-most in the conference that season. He set Rutgers' program record for most touches, 669 rushing attempts plus 38 receptions, without ever losing a fumble.

2025 season recap

As a rookie, Monangai played 17 games with one start, carrying 169 times for 783 yards (4.6 average) and five touchdowns to go with 18 catches for 164 yards. His highlight game came in Week 9 at Cincinnati, where he ran for 176 yards on 26 carries, the second-most rushing yards by a rookie in a single game in Bears history, and he and Swift became the league's only running back tandem to each top 750 rushing yards on the season.