We all know it takes more than a single season to accurately assess the success of any draft class. Our own Josh Sunderbruch does a phenomenal job of explaining why this is and looking back at a more reasonable benchmark. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a moment to look back and see how the early returns are looking and if any selection would have been better spent elsewhere. What better class to assess than one of the more impactful ones we have seen in Chicago for some time? In this series,
I will go through each pick in each round and assign what I believe to be the best pick, worst pick and players that could have been selected instead.
Round 7 – Pick 233
Kyle Monangai, RB
Everyone expected Chicago to draft a RB in this draft, but few expected them to wait until the 7th round to do so. Good thing for them that the 2025 RB class was one of the deepest in recent memory and a former Big Ten standout fell right into their laps. The New Jersey native’s decisive and hard-nosed “one-cut and fight for every inch” running style not only quicky became a fan favorite, but also complimented D’Andre Swift’s explosive style quite nicely as the duo was universally lauded as one of the league’s top backfields in 2025.
Hard to say anything negative about this one. Rarely do 7th round picks pan out so obviously and so immediately and considering the need for RB2 in this draft, it was now or never. But was Monangai the best pick considering there happened to be another rookie taken AFTER him that had more rushing yards and rushing TDs in their rookie season? I think so. But you tell me. Either way, looking forward to more Monangai First Downs.
Other Potential Options:
Tez Johnson, WR, 5’10”, 165lb – Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick 235
LeQuint Allen, RB, 6’0”, 201lb – Jacksonville Jaguars pick 236
Bill Corskey-Merritt, RB, 5’11”, 208lb – Washington Commanders pick 245
