Plenty of people had no qualms about sharing their opinions of Velus Jones when he got drafted. The typical assessments were one-year wonder, more of a return man than a receiver, and too old. Better options were available to the Chicago Bears at the 71st pick, and they passed on them. Jones was a reach. GM Ryan Poles disagreed. After watching extensive tape, he, along with quarterback Justin Fields, felt that the Tennessee wide receiver had exceptional talent.
His explosiveness, run-after-the-catch ability, and versatile skill set were something the Bears’ offense didn’t have last year. Adding him to the mix alongside Darnell Mooney and Byron Pringle gives Fields some nice options. Early returns from minicamps and OTAs were promising. Jones made some strong plays here and there, showing flashes of his potential. It appears he didn’t waste the weeks off before training camp. According to Will Dewitt and Nicholas Moreano of CHGO, he had one of the highlights of Day 1 when he torched fellow rookie Kyler Gordon.
“In 1-on-1 red zone drills, rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. made a terrific double-move on Kyler Gordon making the corner bite on the inside fake and creating a ton of space along the outside for an easy touchdown.”
Velus Jones is on a mission, and this is only the beginning.
Gordon is not a pushover. Expectations are the 2nd round pick will start for the Bears’ defense come September. He was one of the best cornerbacks in the country last season for Washington. Giving up big plays was rare for him. To hear he got cooked by Jones is a welcome sign the young receiver is progressing. Nobody debated his speed coming into the NFL. It was all about whether he could progress as a route runner.
He showed it at the Senior Bowl, then again at the scouting combine, and again during his pro day. Teams weren’t willing to look past his lengthy college career spent mainly as a return man. Poles didn’t blink. He saw players like that become great receivers before. Hill is one example. Velus Jones can do the same. He only needed an opportunity to prove it. If the rookie becomes an instant contributor, those doubters will have lots of crow to eat.
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