Velus Jones Jr. evolved a lot as a wide receiver from the time he entered college at USC to his exit via the NFL draft this past April from Tennessee. It was obvious he’d gone from an explosive returner and solid gadget option to a legitimate pass-catching weapon. People have wondered about the process he went through to reach this point. A good part of it is hard work, but it also came from inspiration like any young player.
Every young wide receiver has that guy they grew up idolizing. The person they hoped they could be someday. These days, most rookies were probably into Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, or DeAndre Hopkins. For Jones, his idolization began further back than many people might realize. He explained on the Parkins & Spiegel show for 670 The Score, where he modeled his game from.
“Odell Beckham was a huge model of my game. Just watching him proper and seeing him, like, I’ve been following Odell Beckham ever since he was in high school…I was a big Odell Beckham fan and also a Jarvis Landry fan. Just seeing that duo and the things they did at LSU was unreal. So I always took a lot of my game and my mentality from them as well.”
This isn’t a huge surprise.
Beckham became an instant sensation with the New York Giants in 2014 following his excellent LSU career. Many envisioned him becoming one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. That remains to be seen. He did have some frustrating moments over the past few years. Still, he overcame that to help the Los Angeles Rams win their first Super Bowl in 22 years last season. Across 12 regular season and playoff games, he collected just under 600 yards and seven touchdowns.
Now many wonder what his future holds. The Rams opted not to re-sign him this offseason, signing Allen Robinson instead. Teams are likely waiting to see how his recovery from a torn ACL goes, but it’s clear the 29-year-old is one of the best receivers left on the market by a wide margin.
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The Chicago Bears need receiving help. Adding him to the mix alongside Velus Jones, Darnell Mooney, and Byron Pringle might give Justin Fields a viable arsenal that defenses can respect. It would undoubtedly make their rookie 3rd round pick ecstatic. It comes down to the health of that knee and whether Beckham would be interested in joining the Bears.
One must also remember Jarvis Landry is still available as well. He could be a strong option for them in the slot. Maybe Jones can give management a little nudge to at least consider it.
