As Bears wrap up rookie minicamp, Kyle Monangai is noted for attentiveness and drive
Running back Kyle Monangai said he was focused on the "little details" of being a professional football player as he went through the three-day crash course of an NFL playbook.
Like rookie teammate Luther Burden III, Monangai — a seventh-round selection out of Rutgers — has a chip on his shoulder after slipping to day three of the NFL Draft. Monangai was picked at No. 233, despite the 5-foot-8-inch bowling ball putting up big rushing numbers at Rutgers.
"My football career path has kind of been one of like, 'You know, he's a good player, but you know, just something off, like something — I don't think I'm going to put him on at the pedestal.' I was never always talked about in the top guys," he said. "It's not a new space, not a new environment for me. It's a role that I embrace and that I take on. I think it's what honestly has made me the player I am. I think it's given me the fuel, the motivation to be, you know, the running back I am."
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle emphasized Monangai's attentiveness and drive.
"He is a very physical player. He's very willing, and then the best thing about him that translates is that he's a consummate pro. The last couple days we've been able to meet with these guys, he is front and center. He's taking notes. He's attentive. You're asking a question of the group, he's asking," Doyle said, "and I think he's going to carry himself that way. I think guys that do handle themselves that way give themselves a great shot."
The minicamp was a first for new head coach Ben Johnson at the helm. When it started on Friday, Johnson told players to embrace mistakes made early on, and he is still making a few adjustments of his own as the man in charge.
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