Details of the last time Kyle Monangai fumbled in a game are fresh in his mind — even if it happened so long ago, the Chicago Bears were the reigning NFC North champions.

Monangai was fighting for extra yardage in the fourth quarter of Don Bosco Prep’s 35-14 victory at St. Joseph in Montvale, N.J., when he got a little sloppy clutching the football and lost it.

“I remember the play,” he said. “Senior year. (St. Joseph coach) Augie Hoffmann, my guy, he would love to have me bring this story up. I ran for 200, though, you can remind him of that if he ever reads this. I was being greedy and I was loose with the ball. We blew them out.”

That was Oct. 19, 2019, and Monangai actually ran for 225 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t fumbled in a game since — not during the rest of his senior season at Don Bosco and not in 669 career carries at Rutgers plus 38 receptions, a total of 707 touches.

Hands that measured 9 inches at the scouting combine — large for someone who’s 5-foot-8, 212 pounds — help. Monangai said he’s constantly working on grip strength too. But beyond good-sized mitts and a firm grip, he says something larger is at play.

“It’s more of a mentality of not letting go of the football no matter what,” he said.

Certainly Monangai’s reliability and his 2,541 rushing yards over the previous two seasons for the Scarlet Knights were factors in the Bears drafting him in the seventh round, adding him to the backfield mix with D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, a fourth-round pick in 2023.

Monangai wasn’t at the top of the Bears’ list of running backs entering a deep draft for the position. It’s well-documented they were focused on Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson at the start of the second round but couldn’t swing a deal to get in front of the New England Patriots, who took him at No. 38. The Bears pivoted with the 39th pick, choosing Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Then they waited and waited as running backs came off the board, finally grabbing Monangai at No. 233 as the 22nd running back chosen. Whether he’ll become the team’s best seventh-round pick since former general manager Phil Emery chose left tackle Charles Leno Jr. in 2014 remains to be seen.

But there’s more to Monangai than just a tight grip, at least in the estimation of one national scout for another NFC team who has been at it more than 30 years. When I asked him in February for a few names of running backs who could emerge as tone setters but weren’t being discussed as likely top-100 picks, Monangai was the first name he listed.

“No. 1, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s had the team mentality for so long,” the scout said this week when asked to expand on that evaluation. “He was Rutgers’ workhorse. He was pretty much their offense and he didn’t catch the ball well at the combine. He worked his ass off and then he caught the ball pretty well at his pro day.

“He’s the type of kid, he’s got some ‘it’ to him, even though he’s got a little tightness to his hips. He’s not the biggest kid, but, man, Monangai is one of those guys you can see making it and being a culture and tone setter.”

Bears running back Kyle Monangai works out July 23, 2025, during the first practice of training camp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Monangai also has a knack for making those who take a shot on him look good. He didn’t field a lot of offers at Don Bosco, surprising considering it’s a New Jersey football powerhouse. He shared the backfield with Jalen Berger, a bigger back who signed with Wisconsin and also spent time at Michigan State and UCLA.

“We had Division I coaches coming through the school every day,” Monangai said. “I just didn’t get too many scholarships offered from big programs.”

For the longest time, California was Monangai’s only Power Five offer. FCS schools, including pretty much the entire Ivy League, were opportunities until two weeks before signing day, when coach Greg Schiano, starting his second stint at Rutgers, offered him a scholarship.

Don Bosco coach Dan Sabella, who had a relationship with Schiano, had implored him to take a shot on Monangai.

“He said, ‘Greg, trust me on this one, you need to take the kid,’” Schiano recalled. “Initially when you looked at his size and you watched the tape, he was very productive but he was the same height he is now. You’re like, eh, I need him to be bigger.

“My goodness am I grateful to his coach for pushing me to do it. He was a big part of us rebuilding this program. In addition to the incredible amount of production he had for the final two years, he was such a great leader in our program, an example to the younger players of how to handle their business. Very, very smart guy.”

Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai runs past USC cornerback John Humphrey on Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Kyusung Gong/AP)

Monangai piled up bigger numbers for the Scarlet Knights than Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round pick in 2022 by the Kansas City Chiefs who has emerged as a solid back with major production in the playoffs.

They’ve already talked about what to expect and how to fit in for Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who worked with Pacheco in Kansas City.

“Foremost is the opportunity of being in the NFL,” Pacheco said. “Setting the mindset of putting the respect on your last name as far as doing any drill work, finding ways to finish and being a player that’s able to compete on special teams, get in there any way and get the job done. It’s about finding those details and being able to compete on the field.

“I had a chip on my shoulder as a seventh-round pick and I am sure Kyle does as well. Coming where we come from — Jersey — being unsatisfied knowing that it comes with the game but finding that daylight to become great.”

Monangai, who graduated with a degree in supply chain management and marketing science, also learned about the pro game from his brother Kevin, who spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings and had a short stint as an assistant coach for the New York Giants.

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The first thing he has to do for coaches during padded practices is prove he can handle pass-protection assignments and set his pads to take on a blitzing linebacker. From there, it’s showing he has an understanding for the run game, the paths he needs to take — and then let his vision, patience, short-area quickness and contact balance take over.

He’s not the fastest back, clocked in at 4.60 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine.

“A bunch of teams said they had me way faster than what they posted in Indianapolis,” Monangai said. “That was a shock to see. It is what it is. Can’t change it.”

As the scout said, would there really be a different view of him if the official time was 4.55? What he does possess is quickness to the hole and production behind an offensive line that wasn’t one of the Big Ten’s best.

Monangai had a nifty run on the first day of training camp, working well off his blockers on an outside zone play to the left side for a big gain. There will be opportunities in the backfield for someone behind Swift, and how it shakes out is anyone’s best guess. But those who have worked and played with Monangai say don’t bet against him.

“We will handle what’s coming later,” Monangai said. “Right now is the most important play that I can have. I’ve got to make 100% of it.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting to be drafted higher. But looking back, I am blessed to have ended up being where I am. I love being here. I love the fact that Chicago took a chance on me. It’s not really about what draft pick you are, it’s about where you go and how well you fit. I think I fit pretty well here.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/31/chicago-bears-kyle-monangai/