The Chicago Bears have made it clear their decisions regarding the 9th overall pick remain fluid. Rumors persist that GM Ryan Poles may look to trade down again, accumulating as many extra selections as possible. Presuming he stays put, the debates on who he might take are fierce. A large section of fans are clamoring for wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whom they seem convinced is the next great superstar. Others think taking a risk on talented but troubled defensive tackle Jalen Carter is worth it. Hell, more than a few think taking Texas phenom running back Bijan Robinson is the way to go.
In truth, conventional wisdom says this will go one of two ways. Either Poles will take both defensive end and right tackle. Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel believes there are two clear options if Poles takes the offensive route. One is Paris Johnson of Ohio State, and the other is Broderick Jones of Georgia. Peter Skoronski of Northwestern is a good player, but his lack of length doesn’t fit what the Bears are looking for. Gabriel went into detail about what makes Johnson and Jones such good prospects on Windy City Gridiron.
He also made it clear both have bright futures.
“Overall, I really like both players. Both have experience on the right side, but Jones may be a natural left tackle, and if the Bears drafted him, they may have to move Braxton Jones to right tackle. Both players are plug-and-play types, with Johnson being more ready for the NFL than Jones, but Jones may be the better player two years down the road.
What it gets down to is if the Bears make that decision to select a tackle at nine and both are there, it’s which one are they most comfortable with. They both have the talent to be long-time starters and potential Pro Bowl players. The Bears can win with either one. Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus could have a tough but nice decision to make in five weeks.”
Chicago Bears’ decision may hinge on Braxton Jones.
How good do they believe the former 5th round pick can be? If Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus think he can indeed be a long-term left tackle, then the decision becomes clearer. Broderick Jones is viewed as a natural left tackle and that’s where he has all of his experience. On the other hand, Johnson had a productive season at right guard for Ohio State before moving to left tackle in 2022. So the Bears already know he can play on the right side with no issue. He also has the immense size and length typical right tackles require.
It also comes down to who is more ready to play immediately. Whoever the Chicago Bears pick would almost certainly start right away. In such a case, Johnson would be the choice. He’s more experienced, and his technique is the most polished of the two. Jones is the superior athlete. His ceiling is higher, but it might take a year or two for him to realize his full potential. Either way, the odds are good that both will become top players at their position. The Bears almost can’t go wrong.
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I think that poles will surprise everyone. He will trade down if deal is good and he’s just might draft Top wr or top rb in 1st round. Then start loading up with O-line and D-line 2nd and middle rounds
If they draft Broderick Jones, they’ll have BRODERICK JONES and BRAXTON JONES on the roster.
They cant have just JONES on the back of their jerseys.
They can’t have B.JONES, either. Or even BR.JONES.
They’d need to (and this would be EPIC) go with BRA JONES and BRO JONES
I’ve officially decided Bro Jones is now my top choice.
Bra & Bro as our bookend tackles.
MAKE. THIS. HAPPEN.
Let’s keep this simple. Yes the Bears need help on both lines and head coach will want d lineman more than likely. Now which is more important this year building around JF or building the defense. Both are important but if building around JF is critical this year or they go back to square one. Braxton, out played all other tackles in his class as a fifth rounder and he has 17 games under his belt. Why would you move him right now for any of these rookies including Johnson. Plus Braxton should be better this year and he’s not… Read more »
Teams don’t usually draft a right tackle in the top ten. If the Bears plan to move Braxton to the right side I think they would have at least tried him out at that position last year. We’ve all read the articles that said Braxton did better than the first round picks so switching him in year two doesn’t sound like a great idea.
Bears have an abundance of options for both o-line and d-line throughout the draft. Not just the first round. A lot of fans are panicking because Poles didn’t sign a bunch of lineman in free agency. I get it, but this seems to be Poles’ plan all along. He’s placed an emphasis on building through the draft and taking MULTIPLE bites of the apple and this draft class is PERFECT for building the trenches. According to Bleacher Report’s Top 150 prospect rankings, edge rusher (22), defensive line (11) and offensive tackle (7) are 3 of the 4 deepest position groups… Read more »