LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Layered within Kyle Monangai's achievements at Rutgers, including a Big Ten-leading 2,541 rushing yards from 2023 to 2024, is one he holds in particular regard.
Monangai, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round last month, has zero career fumbles. That's 669 rushes since 2021 without a fumble, the most by any FBS player in that span.
"The way you kind of see me carrying the ball throughout my whole college career, that's something that was preached, something that I worked hard on -- grip strength with my hands," Monangai said. "Ball security definitely means a lot, and having zero career fumbles is something I definitely say with pride."
The Bears felt the same, which is among several reasons why they used their eighth and final pick at No. 233 on Monangai. General manager Ryan Poles praised the 22-year-old back for his physical running style and strength in pass protection.
"We believe he can come in and compete," Poles said.
After a standout college career, Kyle Monangai is taking his talents to Chicago 😤
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) May 1, 2025
Good luck with the Bears, @kylemonangai 🐻#B1GFootball x @RFootball pic.twitter.com/NMYqSGZZsy
Whether it's enough to earn Monangai a significant role in a backfield that features D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer and Ian Wheeler remains to be seen. Running back was among the Bears' top needs they aimed to address earlier in the draft, but they waited until the seventh round to bolster a rushing attack that ranked 25th last season (102 yards per game).
There were 25 running backs drafted, several of whom the Bears had hoped would be available when they were on the clock. Moving up to land Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, who was the first running back taken by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6, was cost prohibitive for Chicago.
Poles said the cost to move up in Round 1 "didn't make sense" even though Chicago loved Jeanty. What the Bears would have given up to climb up the draft order from No. 10 would likely have prevented them from selecting players in the second round.
"Every draft has just pockets that you just don't fall into," Poles said. "Again, if you're going to be disciplined, you're going to let the board dictate how you do things and it just happens that way.
"And I do think you can get into a lot of trouble when you start trying to manipulate things to get into certain pockets where it ends up hurting your team long term."
At the start of Round 2, Ohio State running backs Quinshon Judkins (No. 36 overall to Cleveland) and TreVeyon Henderson (No. 38 to New England) were selected before the Bears were up with pick No. 39, which they used to draft Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.
The run on running backs continued early in the fourth round. In back-to-back selections, the Jaguars selected Virginia Tech's Bhayshul Tuten (No. 104 overall) while the Giants drafted Arizona State's Cam Skattebo (No. 105), two moves that prompted the Bears to trade back from No. 109 to later in the fourth.
It's not like the Bears came away empty-handed. Monangai rushed for 21 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Rutgers and led the Big Ten in rushing attempts (256) as a senior. More than 40% of his total yards in 2023 came in the fourth quarter of games, which sparks intrigue about the type of role he could earn in Ben Johnson's offense.
But given the Bears weren't able to acquire a top running back in free agency or earlier in the draft, how Chicago approaches adding or sticking with who they have is one of the top storylines on offense.
Swift is set for his second season in Chicago after the Bears gave him a three-year contract worth $24 million in 2024. Last year, the 26-year-old totaled 959 rushing yards and six touchdowns (3.7 yards per carry) and only cracked the 100-yard threshold in a game once.
Johnson, who was Detroit's offensive coordinator during Swift's last season with the Lions in 2022 before he was traded to Philadelphia, doesn't believe the running back "needs a '1-B'" to be successful in this offense.
"I feel really good about having worked with him in the past," Johnson said in April. "He had a really good season the year that I called it [542 yards and 5 TDs on 99 carries; 5.5 yards-per-carry average].
Nick Chubb squatting over 500 pounds 😳
— NFL (@NFL) April 15, 2025
(via @NickChubb) pic.twitter.com/pPcLWAQgbL
"I think he's got good vision. The negative plays are one area that we're going to talk to him about where, 'hey, let's limit those a little bit in terms of where we were a year ago.' Not necessarily look for the home run every time. Have some more dirty plays where we're getting the twos, the threes, the fours and staying on track on offense."
Chicago currently has five running backs on the roster, a number Johnson said should be at "six or seven just to get comfortable going into training camp."
That could mean the addition of a running back for the 90-man roster comes from rookie minicamp or a veteran free agent. The two most intriguing options for the latter are Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins.
Chubb, 29, is a four-time Pro Bowler who had four straight 1,000-yard seasons with Cleveland before suffering a serious season-ending knee injury in 2023. He returned for eight games in 2024 before a foot fracture ended his season.
Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024, which put him second behind Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in votes for the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Los Angeles Chargers placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Dobbins, which means he's included in the compensatory pick formula if signed prior to the July 22 deadline. After that date, the Chargers will own exclusive negotiating rights.
Both veterans could help bolster a Bears backfield that hopes to benefit from a revamped offensive line. It should be noted that during his lone season in Philadelphia, Swift rushed for a career-high 1,049 yards behind an O-line that ranked eighth in run block win rate.
It's likely the Bears wait to see where they're lacking in the backfield until after these five backs take reps in Chicago's new offense. Injuries and inconsistent usage led Johnson, who Poles drafted in the fourth round in 2023, to see his production decline last season (55 carries for 150 yards with a career-high six touchdowns). Wheeler, whose undrafted free agent journey as a rookie was the focal point of the Bears season on Hard Knocks, suffered a torn ACL late in the preseason.
"I know we really want to get this new coaching staff with the players that we have to see if they believe that they can help us," Poles said on ESPN 1000. "We'll always keep our eye on the short list to see if we need to bring someone in to come in and create competition and see if we can raise the level of talent in that room."