Bear Digest

This Chicago Bears rookie has fans buzzing midway through the 2025 season

Halfway through the 2025 season, one Chicago Bears rookie has captured the attention of fans with his impressive play and steady rise in production.
Bryan Perez|
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So far, so good for the Chicago Bears' 2025 draft class.

First-round pick Colston Loveland enjoyed a breakout Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Loveland was so good that he was named the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week.

But Loveland wasn't alone in his breakout Week 9 performance. Running back Kyle Monangai, who the Bears selected in the seventh round, ran for a remarkable 176 yards in the first start of his career.

As Darnell Wright aptly put it, Monangai was a Pitbull against the Bengals' defense.

And let's not forget about wide receiver Luther Burden III. He missed Week 9's offensive explosion with a concussion, but the second-round pick has already flashed his high-flying upside when his number's been called upon this year.

Sure, the rest of the Bears' rookie class has yet to make much of an impact, but this 'big three' is beginning to exceed expectations.

As a result, I asked Bears Nation to decide which of these three first-year players has been the most impressive so far.

The results weren't close. It's officially Monangai season.

The former Rutgers star received nearly 80% of the votes, with Loveland coming in a distant second with 16%.

Perhaps that narrative will change now that Loveland is expected to be a bigger part of Chicago's passing game. If he stacks more games like he had in Week 9, he won't just be a Bears' rookie favorite; he could find himself in the 2025 Rookie of the Year conversation.

Indeed, Loveland has only had one noteworthy game this year. His production against the Bengals doubled his season yardage; his two touchdowns were the first two of his career. He'll need to prove Week 9 wasn't a fluke against the NFL's worst defense before he can be championed as the season's top rookie.

Call it a hunch, but I don't think Colston Loveland's 100-yard game was a fluke. Instead, it was the start of a big second half of the season. The same goes for Kyle Monangai, who looked like a better option as the Bears' starting running back than D'Andre Swift has over the last two years.

And don't forget about Luther Burden. His best is yet to come.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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