To say the Kyle Monangai hype is already out of control would be an understatement.
The Chicago Bears' newest running back out of Rutgers might have come into the league as a seventh-round pick, but experts and analysts can't stop raving about the pick.
NBC Sports' draft expert Connor Rogers is buying the hype, too.
""Kyle Monangai is a human pinball.""Connor Rogers
In conjunction with Rogers' "pinball" comparison, Pro Football Focus also included a startling stat from Monangai's college career:
Kyle Monangai had 139 forced missed tackles since 2023. The next-closest Big Ten running back had 91.
I'd say the above statistic certainly backs up Rogers' metaphor.
Kyle Monangai looks like the Bears' next David Montgomery
Six years ago, the Bears selected David Montgomery out of Iowa State. He came into the league known as a hard-nosed runner who loved contact. Like Monangai, Montgomery bounced off tacklers with regular ease.
It is no coincidence that the Bears took a player like Monangai with new head coach Ben Johnson running the show. Coming from Detroit where we saw just how important Montgomery was to his offense, Johnson was in search for a similar skill set.
The raw comparisons are pretty intriguing, too, when you look at the two of them coming out of college.
College/Combine Stats | Monangai | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
40-time | 4.60 | 4.63 |
Attempts | 669 | 624 |
YPA | 4.8 | 4.7 |
Rushing TDs | 27 | 26 |
Rushing Yards | 3,222 | 2,925 |
Whether we're talking about comparing Monangai to another former Rutgers running back like Super Bowl champion Isiah Pacheco (also drafted in the seventh round) or Montgomery, the similarities are uncanny between all three backs.
The style in which all three of them run is exactly the type of style this offense has been missing with D'Andre Swift currently starting.
Giving Chicago a one-two punch with varying styles could be precisely what the Bears' back field needed and it makes total sense. Again, look at where Johnson came from with Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Now, Swift isn't exactly Gibbs. We know that much. However, Monangai very well could become a stud just like both Pacheco and Montgomery.