Bears guard Luke Newman was taking off his cleats on the finish of the Bears’ rookie minicamp Sunday when he launched himself to operating again Kyle Monangai.
“Kyle,” he mentioned, “you terrorized us.”
Within the common season finale Nov. 30, Monangai ran a whopping 31 occasions for 129 yards and one landing in a 41-14 Rutgers win towards Newman’s Michigan State crew.
“They know my title up there in East Lansing,” Monangai mentioned.
They know his title in loads of Massive Ten cities. In 16 convention video games the previous two years, Monangai eclipsed 100 speeding yards eight occasions. He was first-team All-Massive Ten final 12 months and graduated because the second main rusher within the historical past of Rutgers. He by no means fumbled in his five-year school profession and has been a captain twice.
He was obtainable for the Bears to draft in Spherical 7, although, as a result of, whereas his manufacturing is elite, his measurables usually are not.
The manufacturing: Monangai averaged 105.9 speeding yards per sport over the previous two seasons at Rutgers. Solely three different Energy 6 convention operating backs had extra throughout that point. One was drafted in Spherical 1 final month, the opposite in Spherical 2 and the third in Spherical 6. Monangai waited till Choose 233 to listen to his title. The rationale: he ran a 4.6-second 40-yard sprint on the NFL Scouting Mix final 12 months, the third-slowest among the many operating backs class. He stands 5-foot-8 — nobody shorter than him was drafted this 12 months.
“I feel my soccer profession path has type of been certainly one of, like, ‘He’s a great participant. However there’s one thing off,’” Monangai mentioned Sunday. “One thing that, ‘I don’t assume I’m going to place him on the pedestal he needs to be.’
“I used to be by no means all the time talked about within the high guys, often, from Pop Warner to center faculty, highschool, school, after which now even. So it’s not a brand new house, not a brand new setting for me. It’s a job that I embrace, one thing that I tackle. And I feel it’s, truthfully, what’s made me the participant I’m.”
In that sense, he has quite a bit in frequent with Luther Burden. The previous Missouri receiver — who practiced Sunday sooner or later after hurting his midsection — continues to be seething about falling to the Bears in Spherical 2. Burden, although, has prototypical measurement for his place to match his stat-stuffing school resume.
Whether or not Monangai’s manufacturing can switch to the NFL degree with out the right physique kind is among the most compelling storylines of the Bears’ offseason. Greater than many of the Bears’ Day 3 picks, he’ll have a chance to make an impression.
Regardless of needing a operating again to crew with starter D’Andre Swift and short-yardage again Roschon Johnson, the Bears didn’t signal a longtime participant in free company or draft one greater than Spherical 7. That may have confirmed totally different had Ohio State operating backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson not been taken off the board with two of the three picks earlier than the Bears’ No. 39 choice.
Basic supervisor Ryan Poles may nonetheless add a veteran free agent — J.Ok. Dobbins is coming off a career-high 905 speeding yards with the Chargers and former Browns star Nick Chubb is working to regain his burst after a grisly knee damage. Monangai, although, will get first crack at sticking within the crew’s operating again rotation.
“My brief publicity to D’Andre Swift has been actually optimistic,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle mentioned. “He has been actually attentive. He’s a professional. Clearly, you want what he does within the passing sport — and he’s gonna be a home-run hitter as a runner. Including Kyle to that blend goes to be superior, with the group that’s in there with Roschon and people guys.”
Doyle has seen the best way Monangai carries himself — he sits within the entrance of crew conferences, taking notes and answering questions meant for the group. Poles likes Monangai’s physicality, willingness to pass-block and the steadiness he maintains when he takes on tacklers.
Will probably be onerous to measure Monangai till the pads come on, however there’s no doubting the chance in entrance of him. One thing wants to alter within the Bears’ speeding assault. Swift averaged 3.8 yards per carry final 12 months, a profession low. Johnson averaged 2.7 final season after posting a good 4.3 the 12 months earlier than. The Bears introduced in former Chiefs and Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, whom they consider is the perfect operating backs coach within the NFL, to repair it. Monangai will likely be a take a look at of Bieniemy’s skill to develop gamers.
The operating again seems like he’s been questioned his complete life.
“I don’t concern myself with who went earlier than me and all these issues — the draft is over with …” he mentioned. “[It’s] undoubtedly one thing I’ll take with me as some gasoline, a chip on my shoulder. However that’s type of been my complete profession and my path to getting right here. The issues that allowed me to excel in school, I’ve bought to determine that out at this degree first after which use these issues to my benefit.
“I count on to see the identical outcomes.”
