Bears late-round pick over the moon about joining Ben Johnson offense

Ben Johnson's vision is the new normal for the Chicago Bears.

In the aftermath of the 2025 NFL Draft, it's clear that the roster is taking shape under Johnson's vision. After all, first-round selection Colston Loveland and second-round selection Luther Burden speak to the creativity that Johnson will bring with the Bears' offense.

Johnson's offense with the Detroit Lions is one of the reasons why many expected the Bears to add a running back during the early rounds of the draft. Instead, the Bears waited until their final selection of the weekend to add a running back. Many have been quick to cast the Bears' seventh-round selection to the side, but there are some reasons to believe the team found a diamond in the rough with Kyle Monangai.

Monangai will draw automatic comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs' running back Isiah Pacheco given that he is also a seventh-round rookie out of Rutgers but Monangai does have some compelling numbers to prove why he may just make the Bears' roster. Monangai rushed for over 1,200 yards in his last two seasons at Rutgers, and overall, he didn't fumble once during his collegiate career.

Those numbers alone don't make Monangai your average seventh-round running back. However, the biggest thing working in his favor is that he is starting his NFL career playing in an offense constructed by Johnson.

“Everyone’s telling me how blessed I am to be under a Ben Johnson run team," Johnson explained after being selected by the Bears.

Kyle Monangai could be the unsung hero of the Bears' 2025 NFL Draft Class

As things stand, D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and Travis Homer are the running backs ahead of Monangai on the depth chart. Considering Homer's role on the roster is mostly tied to special teams, Monangai could easily find his way up the depth chart as the Bears get closer to training camp. The Bears also have Ian Wheeler returning after an ACL injury ended his rookie campaign in preseason last year.