Chicago Bears Draft Pick Named Best 2022 Rookie At His Position

The Chicago Bears had a rough year. It is obvious how depleted their roster is. GM Ryan Poles took a lot of criticism for several moves, but his plan was at least straightforward. He wanted to tear things down and start over. That means unloading big contracts and stockpiling young, cheap players. He turned five draft picks into 11 last year, hoping some of them might become building blocks for the future. It appears Poles did some good work. A few of his draft picks, and even some undrafted free agents, managed to stand out.

Jaquan Brisker led the team in sacks and had one of the best highlight interceptions of the year. Kyler Gordon overcame a rough start to finish with three interceptions. Velus Jones finished near the top of the league in kick return average. Jack Sanborn emerged as a legitimate player at middle linebacker. However, the name that has garnered the most praise is Braxton Jones. In less than 12 months, he went from overlooked 5th round pick out of Southern Utah to starting every snap at left tackle for the Bears. Now Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports named him the best offensive line rookie of 2022.

Quite an accomplishment.

The Seahawks tackles -- Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas -- had fantastic rookie campaigns that were well documented. You know who else had an outstanding season, by rookie offensive tackle standards, and didn't get nearly as much publicity? Yes, Braxton Jones, the fifth-round pick from Southern Utah who played on an island offense blocking for Justin Fields in 2022.

Now, from an even advanced-stat perspective, Jones wasn't great. He surrendered 40 pressures on 542 pass-blocking snaps. However, there's so much more strain on an offensive tackle when he's protecting a young, scramble-happy quarterback. Jones did a fine job dealing with veteran rushers in legitimate one-on-one scenarios, and he consistently moved people in the run game.

The Chicago Bears should be proud of Jones.

People are quick to judge him because he struggled at times in pass protection. They fail to understand the context. This young man played against FCS opponents for most of his college career. In other words, most of the pass rushers he went against were never going to play a snap in the NFL. He went from that to start opposite guys like Nick Bosa, Micah Parsons, and Haason Reddick without looking completely useless. Fans often can't grasp how insanely difficult that is. Jones did that while also becoming the Bears' most dependable blocker in the running game.

As rookie seasons go, his was excellent. That doesn't mean he should be content with it. Jones isn't dumb. He knows there are several holes in his game that need fixing. His vulnerability to the bull rush was evident far too often last year. Getting stronger and fine-tuning his technique are the two big priorities. The Chicago Bears are eager to help him progress. If he takes the leap he is capable of next season, this team will have secured a potential franchise left tackle for pennies on the dollar.