ESPN take....not so good
Round 3, No. 71 overall: Velus Jones Jr., WR, Tennessee
My take: The Bears were looking for speed and they found it in Jones, who ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash. They also addressed a need on special teams by nabbing arguably the best returner in college football, who averaged 132.5 all purpose-yards per game in 2021. How Jones projects as a wide receiver in the NFL is a bit of an unknown considering his modest offensive production throughout a college career that began in 2016 at USC and culminated in him catching 62 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns at Tennessee. The Bears passed up on a handful of more proven receivers, including
Jalen Tolbert,
Calvin Austin III and
David Bell. Chicago isn’t concerned about Jones being a 25-year-old rookie and is fond of his run-after-the-catch ability. Now they’ll have to figure out how he’ll be utilized as a weapon for quarterback
Justin Fields.
What’s next: The Bears did not trade back on Friday, so they enter Day 3 without a fourth-round pick. They’ll have to wait until No. 148 in the fifth round to start drafting again and still haven’t selected an offensive lineman. That’s not ideal for Fields’ development considering pass protection remains an area of concern. The O-linemen available to the Bears where they’re currently drafting are expected to be developmental prospects as rookies, so the help for Fields up front may have to come elsewhere this offseason.
