Most of the talk surrounding the Chicago Bears‘ 2022 draft class centers on Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker. That isn’t a huge surprise. They’re the two highest picks and have made the most splash plays, illustrated by each grabbing an interception in New England on Monday night. Yet not enough people are talking about Braxton Jones. The 5th round tackle out of Southern Utah plays a position that has few stats to help show how good or bad he’s been.
Make no mistake. He’s had rookie moments over his first seven games. He was soundly thrashed by Montez Sweat and the Washington Commanders two weeks ago. However, by and large, Jones has played far better than people realize. If you need proof, here he is compared to 7th overall pick Evan Neal and 9th overall pick Charles Cross.
Neal
- 16 pressures allowed
- 3 QB hits
- 5 sacks
- 47.9 run-blocking grade
Cross
- 16 pressures allowed
- 1 QB hit
- 3 sacks
- 55.2 run-blocking grade
Jones
- 22 pressures allowed
- 3 QB hits
- 4 sacks
- 77.0 run-blocking grade
The numbers don’t lie. Jones is on the same level as two top 10 picks in terms of pass protection and is a considerably better run blocker. This season, Chicago averages 5.2 yards per carry when running behind the left tackle. Nobody is saying he’s been perfect, but the fact a 5th round pick is hanging tough with two supposed franchise-caliber guys has to be encouraging.
Braxton Jones has no business being this good already.
Think about this. Neal played college at Alabama. Cross played at Mississippi State. These guys were forged in the fires of the SEC. They were well-prepared for the NFL. Jones cut his teeth against teams like San Jose State, Eastern Washington, Montana, and Weber State. Not exactly a group of elite programs. For him to go from that to slugging it out with guys like Za’Darius Smith, Matthew Judon, and Nick Bosa is pretty crazy. It’s also a testament to GM Ryan Poles‘ work finding him.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
If he finishes strong over the remaining ten games, the Bears could go into 2023 believing they’ve found their left tackle of the future. Talent was never the question with Braxton Jones. He has size, athleticism, length, and power. He’s also highly intelligent for somebody his age. It was a question of whether he could handle the massive jump in competition when he arrived in the NFL. Most players from his college level can’t. Jones appears to be something different.
