Chicago Bears Draft: The case for Broderick Jones in the first round

It is not a secret the Chicago Bears need help on the offensive line.

Quarterback Justin Fields was sacked over 50 times last season. Some of those sack totals are on Fields for holding on to the ball too long.

Most of the protection issues were due to the lack of talent on the offensive line.

General manager Ryan Poles did reinforce the line’s interior when he signed free agent Nate Davis. The roster still has a major hole at right tackle. Larry Borom and Alex Leatherwood are still on the roster, but both were benched at some point last year because of their subpar performance.

Ryan Poles needs to get a starting tackle out of this draft since the free-agent market does not have much left regarding starting talent.

Isaiah Wynn, Taylor Lewan, and Donovan Smith are still unsigned. Wynn and Lewan have a long injury history. With the way Poles has spent this offseason, he probably is not running to pay Smith’s projected price. Also, Poles prefers to go with younger players as he believes it is a young man’s game.

We know he likes Braxton Jones who started every game at left tackle. Braxton Jones has some upside that is worth exploring. He needs to get stronger this offseason to better handle a bull rush coming off the edge.

Therefore, the biggest hole on the offensive line outside of center is at right tackle. Even then, the Bears have some viable options at center in Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick. They do not have an appealing choice at right tackle. Luckily, the Chicago Bears are in a sweet spot in this year’s draft to come away with a potential starting tackle in the first round.

Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones is a possible option at No. 9 in the first round.

Broderick Jones has the physical traits that Ryan Poles likes and comes with probably the biggest upside at tackle among the draft prospects. Jones is a wrecking ball that blocks with great force.

Pro Football Focus and Fox Sports have him ranked as the fifth-best draft prospect at tackle. Dane Brugler of the Athletic has Jones as the second-best offensive tackle in the draft.

His upside and athleticism are two things that could have him ranked high on the Chicago Bears’ draft board.

He posted a 4.97 40-yard dash at the combine and a nine-foot broad jump. His arms measured 34 and three-quarters inches along with ten and five-eighths-sized hands.

Jones started 19 games at left tackle during his career at Georgia. He allowed just two sacks, three quarterback hits, and 12 QB hurries while with the Bulldogs. What is more impressive was he had just two false start penalties in his career and was never called for holding.

Broderick Jones started the last four games of the 2021 season. Talk about being thrown into the fire. He had to face Alabama’s Will Anderson twice in the SEC Championship and National Championship Game and Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson during the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Hutchinson was the top edge rushing prospect in last year’s draft and Anderson is this year’s top edge rusher. Jones held his own in those battles with Hutchinson and Anderson.

Jones did not allow a sack at all last season. Pretty good considering he was facing SEC pass rushers. Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, and LSU are all going to have edge rushers drafted. Plus, he also had to face Georgia’s outstanding defensive line in practice.

Jones is explosive off the snap and is fast for a man of his size. Those are traits needed in the Chicago Bears’ zone-blocking scheme.

To top it off, he is a champion as he was a part of two national championships at Georgia. The Bulldogs have sent his predecessors to the NFL in Wynn, Andrew Thomas, and Jamaree Slayer.

Four areas to be concerned about regarding Broderick Jones.

Jones, like most prospects in the draft, still must improve his technique. He is a willing blocker, but his hand placement needs refinement. He can also duck his head at times. That can be fatal for a lineman as there is a good chance of losing sight of the defender coming off the ball and then whiffing on a block attempt.

He also must get stronger. The Bears already went through a season with a left tackle lacking enough strength. Ryan Poles might want to avoid another season where he has a left tackle needing to hit the weights to handle the NFL bull rush.

Positional versatility is another reason to be concerned. Jones has only played left tackle, and the projection for him to realize his full potential is to play left tackle. He has only 19 starts which is another to be area concerned with.

The lack of reps is one reason Jones’ technique still must get better. Poles does value linemen who can play multiple positions on the line. Now, many guards are failed offensive tackles, so Jones could learn to block in a smaller space. Although, the Chicago Bears need to get a tackle in this draft so positional flexibility really should not matter.

Jones’ skills and size translate better to left tackle. It would mean moving Braxton Jones to right tackle–something Jones would be willing to do.

Should Chicago Bears draft Broderick Jones over Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski or Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr?

Skoronski is considered the top offensive lineman prospect, but some scouts think Johnson Jr. is better than Skoronski. Pro Football Focus has Skoronski and Johnson Jr. ranked ahead of Jones.

Skoronski might have the best film of all three. Johnson Jr. might be the better pick, but Jones might have the best value or the highest ceiling.

Skoronski’s technique is already lightyears ahead of Jones’. Jones’ size and length are more desirable than Skoronski’s.

Skoronski has the shortest arms of all three and that is why a lot of scouts think Skoronski will be a better guard in the NFL. There are some NFL scouts and executives who believe Skoronski will be a Pro Bowler at guard, but he will just be an average player at tackle.

Plus, Jones has played in a greater amount of bigger games–and performed well–than Skoronski. Johnson Jr. has played in just as many games on the big stages as Jones, but Jones has two championship rings.

Johnson Jr. has proved he can play both guard and tackle. He checks the positional value that Ryan Poles prefers. Johnson Jr. has only given up one more career sack than Jones.

Jones has more career starts at left tackle than Johnson Jr, but Paris has more overall starts as an offensive lineman (he started at guard too while at Ohio State) during his college career. Skoronski has 32 career starts protecting a quarterback’s blindside.

The level of competition could be the deciding factor. All three played in great conferences, but the SEC edges the Big Ten by just a bit (I know this will upset the Big Ten diehards). Jones has way more actual game experience facing the closest competition college football has to the NFL and that was just in practice.

The decision comes down to how Ryan Poles and his staff have Jones graded compared to Skoronski and Johnson Jr. and where he falls on the Bears’ draft board.