Player
Kyle Monangai
RB · Bears
A 7th-round pick who barely played through Week 4 and finished with a clear lead-back role is rare — the carry arc here shows the Bears discovered something mid-season, not that they drafted to a plan. That kind of in-season trust-earn is what separates a one-year wonder from a real piece.
783 rushing yards as a Day-3 rookie — and he kept getting more carries every month.
TrendMonangai monthly workload (2025 reg season)
| Span | G | Car/G | RuYds/G | YPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wks 1-4 | 4 | 4.3 | 15.5 | 3.6 |
| Wks 6-9 | 4 | 12.8 | 75.0 | 5.9 |
| Wks 10-13 | 4 | 13.3 | 57.3 | 4.3 |
| Wks 14-18 | 5 | 9.6 | 38.4 | 4.0 |
Monangai entered the league as a 7th-round pick and trended up, fast. He averaged just 4.3 carries through Week 4, then 12.8 carries / 75 RuYds per game from Weeks 6-9, before settling into a clearly established role.
Final regular-season ledger: 169 carries for 783 yards (4.6 YPC) with 5 rushing TDs in 17 games — strong for a late-round rookie who started the year buried.
Rushing yards by week
| Week | Rush yds |
|---|---|
| W1 | 0 |
| W2 | 28 |
| W3 | 16 |
| W4 | 18 |
| W6 | 19 |
| W7 | 81 |
| W8 | 24 |
| W9 | 176 |
| W10 | 28 |
| W11 | 23 |
| W12 | 48 |
| W13 | 130 |
| W14 | 57 |
| W15 | 33 |
| W16 | 50 |
| W17 | 38 |
| W18 | 14 |
Why it matters. A 7th-round pick who barely played through Week 4 and finished with a clear lead-back role is rare — the carry arc here shows the Bears discovered something mid-season, not that they drafted to a plan. That kind of in-season trust-earn is what separates a one-year wonder from a real piece.
176 yards on 26 carries vs the Bengals in Week 9 — career high and 22.8 PPR.
MilestoneIn Week 9 vs Cincinnati, Monangai produced a 176-yard, 26-carry rushing line plus 3 catches for 22 yards. The 22.8 PPR fantasy day announced him as Chicago's lead back.
Four weeks later, Week 13 vs the Eagles, he followed up with 130 yards on 22 carries and a TD — a back-to-back signal that the rookie can carry the rushing offense on big stages.
Why it matters. Back-to-back 100-yard games against two playoff defenses — Cincinnati and Philadelphia — in the same season is not something a Day-3 rookie typically delivers. These weren't soft matchups padded by garbage time; they were his two highest-carry games of the year.
4.6 YPC — tied 2nd among 2025 rookie RBs with 100+ carries, ahead of Jeanty by 0.9.
Comparison2025 rookie RB rushing efficiency (100+ carries, reg season)
| Player | Car | RuYds | YPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| TreVeyon Henderson | 180 | 911 | 5.1 |
| Kyle Monangai | 169 | 783 | 4.6 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | 175 | 805 | 4.6 |
| Omarion Hampton | 124 | 545 | 4.4 |
| Cam Skattebo | 101 | 410 | 4.1 |
| Ashton Jeanty | 266 | 975 | 3.7 |
| RJ Harvey | 146 | 540 | 3.7 |
| Woody Marks | 196 | 703 | 3.6 |
| Quinshon Judkins | 230 | 827 | 3.6 |
Among nine 2025 rookie RBs with 100+ regular-season carries, Monangai's 4.6 YPC tied 2nd-best (with Jacory Croskey-Merritt), behind only TreVeyon Henderson's 5.1. He outproduced the 6th-overall pick Jeanty (3.7 YPC) by 0.9 yards per carry — nearly a full yard per tote.
For a player drafted in the 7th round of the same class, that efficiency gap against a consensus top pick is the kind of number that reshapes how front offices value late-round RBs.
Why it matters. Draft capital and efficiency diverged sharply in this class: Jeanty went 6th overall with massive usage (266 carries) and Monangai went in the 7th round with 169 carries, yet the undrafted-tier player matched or beat the top pick in yards per tote. That's the exact inefficiency that separates fantasy-relevant players from those priced at their draft slot.
On 100+ rushing yard days he averaged 24 carries — the workhorse profile fits him.
Split100+ rushing yard games in 2025
| Wk | Opp | Car | Yds | YPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | CIN | 26 | 176 | 6.8 |
| 13 | PHI | 22 | 130 | 5.9 |
Monangai's two 100-yard games came on 22 and 26 carries — averaging 24 totes and producing a combined 306 yards (6.4 YPC). The Bears trusted him with bell-cow volume against two playoff defenses (Cincinnati's improving front, Philadelphia's elite front).
That's the signal that matters most for a late-round rookie projecting forward: when given 20+ carry workloads, the efficiency holds.
Why it matters. Most rookie RBs who earn 20+ carries in a game see their YPC erode under the workload — Monangai went the other direction, posting 6.4 YPC in his two heaviest games. High-carry efficiency is how you identify backs who can sustain a three-down role, not just flash in limited work.
Reached the Divisional Round as a 7th-round rookie — 2 playoff games, 26 touches, 0 TDs.
RareMonangai 2025 playoff line
| Wk | Opp | Car | Yds | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | GB | 8 | 27 | 1 | 22 |
| 20 | LA | 13 | 36 | 4 | 36 |
The Bears reached the postseason and Monangai played in both games — 21 carries for 63 yards and 5 catches for 58 yards across the Wild Card (vs GB) and Divisional Round (vs LA).
For a 7th-round rookie, the full ledger is: 17 regular-season games, 783 rushing yards at 4.6 YPC, 5 TDs, a multi-week stretch as the unambiguous RB1, and 2 active playoff appearances. That's a foundational rookie season nobody outside Chicago saw coming.
Why it matters. Making an NFL roster as a 7th-round pick is hard enough — playing meaningful snaps in consecutive playoff games in year one is genuinely rare. Monangai's postseason role confirms the Bears' in-season usage wasn't just desperation; he earned his spot on the depth chart.
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