Bear Digest

Best reason why Chicago Bears need to consider a free agent back

The Bears like their seventh-round pick, Kyle Mongangai from Rutgers, but the odds are stacked against seventh-rounders even making a small impact in the NFL.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears running back Kyle Monangai faces steep odds trying to make an impact as a seventh-round back. Only 18 of the 30 drafted in Round 7 in a decade even had an NFL carry.
Bears running back Kyle Monangai faces steep odds trying to make an impact as a seventh-round back. Only 18 of the 30 drafted in Round 7 in a decade even had an NFL carry. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The Bears speak with great hope about seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai from Rutgers.

His college production looked solid but they might be better off putting their faith in Roschon Johnson or picking up a veteran free agent back just to be safe.

"We like his contact balance," Bears GM Ryan Poles said of Monangai. "Again, just the physical nature of how he plays football, and his pass protection is really good, as well."

This isn't a slam on Monangai's ability to run or catch passes or even pass block, but seventh-round running backs rarely accomplish much in the modern NFL.

The Bears, themselves, have drafted only two other running backs besides Monangai in the seventh round since the draft format shortened to seven rounds in 1993.

In 1996, Michael Hicks came to them in Round 7 and gained 106 yards on 31 carries with a catch for minus-1 yards during his Bears career. The other was Kerrith Whyte Jr. in 2019 and they cut him after preseason, stashed him on the prctice squad and lost him when Pittsburgh signed him away. Whyte had 24 Steelers carries and his career came to an end.

The example everyone is pointing to with Monangai's selection is Kansas City's Isiah Pacheco, who also played at Rutgers, has a somewhat similar style and was also deemed a tough, all-around player.

Pacheco is the current hot back from Round 7. He was drafted in 2022 and has 2,075 yards on 458 carries with 13 touchdowns, and made 69 catches for 453 yards with two TDs. 

Pacheco's rushing total is already second best among seventh-round backs drafted in the last 10 years.

It's not just the Bears who rarely have gotten anything from seventh-round backs.

There were no backs even drafted in the seventh round in 2024. There have been 30 backs drafted in the seventh round in the last decade and only 18 of them ever carried a football in the NFL.

Only six of those 30 backs taken across the entire league in the seventh round during the last decade ever carried it 100 times or more in their entire career and only seven gained more than 300 yards in their career.

Chris Carson of Seattle, a 2017 draft pick, is the leader in the past decade among seventh-round running backs and he had a solid 3,502 yards on 769 carries with 24 TDs, while also making 107 catches for 804 yards and seven TDs. His career spanned 2017-21.

The only other backs drafted in the last decade in the seventh round who ran for 1,000 total yards in the NFL for their careers were Myles Gaskin with Miami (364 carries, 1,354 yards, 7 TDs; 102 catches, 712 yards, 6 TDs) and Justin Jackson with the Chargers (248 carries, 1,210 yards, 5 TDs; 77 catches, 609 yards, 1 TD).

Monangai definitely has a lot working on his side with all-around skills, and he came from what was generally described as a deep class of running backs.

However, the history of the position is strong evidence Poles needs to keep the free agency route in mind. 

Top 7th-Round Backs

Career statistics

(2015-2024 drafts)

Back, draft year

Career runs, yards, TDs

Career catches, yards, TDs

1. Chris Carson, 2017

769-3,502-24

107-804-7

2. Isiah Pacheco, 2022

458-2,075-13

69-453-2

3. Myles Gaskin, 2019

364-1,354-7

102-712-6

4. Justin Jackson, 2018

248-1,210-5

77-609-1

5. Dwayne Washington, 2016

168-592-1

16-101-0

6. Eno Benjamin, 2020

111-431-3

31-235-0

7. Bo Scarbrough, 2018

95-408-1

1-5-0

8. Marcus Murphy, 2015

60-291-0

14-36-0

9. Kenny McIntosh, 2023

31-172-0

3-22-0

10. Jermar Jefferson 2021

21-96-2

5-33-0

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.