Chicago Bears (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Over the weekend, most Chicago Bears fans couldn’t wait to see what wide receiver the team would select in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After all, the Bears were going to take a wide receiver, right?
That ended up a nice thought, but general manager Ryan Poles went after the best player available instead — and they both ended up being on the defensive side of the ball.
In the third round, though, the Bears did indeed draft a wideout when they selected Tennessee product Velus Jones Jr. Immediate reactions weren’t exactly positive, as there were other options that fans would have rather had instead.
After all, Jones was mostly graded as a fourth-round guy, so he looked like a bit of a reach.
Velus Jones Jr. will impact the Chicago Bears far more than the average person might think.
Most fans were hoping the Bears would end up finding that true alpha wide receiver to play on the outside opposite Darnell Mooney. Players like Treylon Burks and Christian Watson were intriguing names, but both were drafted before Jones, of course.
Even Jalen Tolbert, out of South Alabama, was an ideal prospect who could eventually develop into that type of receiver. But, the Bears went a different route with Jones.
Coming into the league, Jones only had one real big year of production and that came after he transferred from USC. It took a while for him to get his true chance, but Jones delivered in a big way.
When you dig into the tape and some key analytical areas, Jones becomes a value, believe it or not. There are three key numbers that prove the Bears made the right decision in drafting Jones, and in a few minutes, you’ll understand the pick far more in-depth.
