Chicago Bears 2020 NFL Draft: 6th Round defensive gems
By Ryan Heckman
3. Defensive Lineman Benito Jones, Ole Miss
Another intriguing name in the later rounds is defensive lineman Benito Jones out of Ole Miss. If he fell to the Bears in the sixth, they would get solidified up front across the defensive line.
Jones is a big boy at 6-foot-1 and weighing 316 pounds. It is tough to ignore how he often blasts through the line of scrimmage on film. But, upon a closer look, it’s actually Jones’ ability to use his hands and a little bit of fancy footwork to get in between the gaps and past his blockers. He has a pretty nifty swim move.
Benito Jones at Senior Bowl practice doing what he did all 4 years at Ole Miss - putting in work.
— Taylor Curet (@TaylorCuret) January 21, 2020
The Wayne County grad named 2nd team All-SEC after 5.5 sacks, 10 TFL his senior season in Oxford.@wdam @WCWEFootball @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/mXURNw5fmA
In Jones, the Bears would be getting a broad, dense body in the middle who has held up well in terms of health, which is always crucial.
He is incredibly strong up top, but could afford to get stronger at his base. Reading through some reports on Jones, a lot of experts and analysts notice his lack of length, which may be a reason he falls to the sixth. No matter what, though, Jones is a nasty player who knows his weaknesses and plays physical to make up for them.
Jones would provide the Bears some great depth behind Eddie Goldman, although a guy like Bilal Nichols has also proved to be versatile in that respect. Going forward, though, I think Nichols is going to be the full-time starter on the end and the Bears should find another player to back up Goldman.