Rookie Kyle Monangai is eclipsing all other first-year running backs with multiple 100-yard rushing performances, defying his late-round draft status.
There were 21 running backs taken before Kyle Monangai in the 2025 NFL Draft back in April.
The Bears took him in the seventh round out of Rutgers, and he's looking like an absolute steal heading into Week 14. Monangai is second on the team in rushing yards with 591, while D'Andre Swift leads the way with 774.
The first running back taken in the draft was Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State. The Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the sixth overall pick. Through 12 games, he has 634 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
While Jeanty is having a better season than Monangai, there is one thing that the Raiders' rookie hasn't done yet. Monangai has two games with over 100 rushing yards this season, something that no other rookie running back has done in 2025.
Monangai has finished with over 100 rushing yards in the wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and, more recently, the Philadelphia Eagles.
His performance against the Bengals couldn't have come at a better time, with both Swift and Roschon Johnson out due to injury. Monangai had 176 yards on the ground as the Bears won a 47-42 thriller on the road.
On Black Friday, he and Swift both had over 100 rushing yards. Monangai racked up 130, while Swift ended his day with 125.
The fact that Monangai fell to the seventh round in April is wild. Bears' General Manager Ryan Poles saw something in Monangai, and the rookie is proving that drafting him was the right move.
It's no surprise that head coach Ben Johnson is using a similar model in the running game to the one the Detroit Lions use with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. It took Swift and Monangai a bit to get going, but they have become a great one-two punch in the backfield.
Chicago's running game will be tested on Sunday, as the Bears face the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has allowed 98.3 rushing yards per game this season, ranking 25th in the NFL. However, the Bears rank second in rushing yards per game at 153.8.
Something's got to give as the Bears try to hold on to the No. 1 spot in the NFC North. Chicago will be on the road in Week 14 at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is going to be at 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox, as the Bears aim for a sixth-straight win.