NFL Draft Results 2022: Chicago Bears take wide receiver Velus Jones at pick 71

With the 71st selection of the 2022 NFL Draft the Chicago Bears have chosen Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones.

GM Ryan Poles finally addressed the offense with the soon to be 25-year old Jones (6’0”, 204 pounds) who can flat out fly as his 4.31 forty yard dash can attest. He played the last two years with the Volunteers after spending 2016 to 2019 at USC. A season ago he caught 62 balls for 807 yards with 7 touchdowns, and as a returner he averaged 27.3 yards on kickoffs (1 TD) and 15.1 yards per punt returns.

He has legit YAC ability, but the his route running needs to be cleaned up, which means that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will need to find creative ways to get the ball in his hands.

Jones does make the Bears’ receiving room a little better, but we’ll have to see where he slots in among the current group.

Here’s the scouting report from CBS Sports.

Strengths: Good-sized, decently thick receiver who was used in an underneath, gadget-y type role and needs to be utilized in that way to be maximized at the NFL level. Had a long, prolific return career, too. Suddenness, explosion, and speed stand out on film. Wins with suddenness and contact balance after the catch; great, and at times elite, in that area. Tracks it decently downfield, too. Definitely has a “wide back” profile.

Weaknesses: Complete athletic profile to be a good route runner, but just didn’t have to run many routes in college. Won’t be a separator. Will be a 25-year-old rookie.

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