The Chicago Bears finally made their first selection on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft, selecting Southern Utah offensive tackle Braxton Jones with the 168th overall pick.
Jones has played both left and right tackle, but he’s played primarily at left tackle during his career. Last season, Jones had 11 starts at left tackle and was named first-team All-Big Sky and an All-FCS player.
Jones started in Southern Utah’s zone-run scheme for three years and is a great run blocker. He has prototypical size for an NFL tackle at 6’5, 310 pounds with 35.4” arms.
However, he’s a developmental prospect and struggled against FBS competition, so he will need time to adjust to the NFL. While he could develop into a starter, he’s likely a depth piece that supports both tackle positions.
The Chicago Bears selected Southern Utah offensive tackle Braxton Jones with the 168th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
After targeting defense with their first two picks (cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker), Bears general manager Ryan Poles has now used the last two selections on offense (wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. and Jones).
Jones, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, was a three-year starter at Southern Utah, where 29 of his 31 starts came at left tackle. Jones was named first-team FCS All-American over the last two seasons.
Jones has moments where he can overwhelm his level of competition with size and length, but he’s currently lacking the technique and force needed to succeed against NFL defenders. Jones’ run blocking isn’t as dynamic or athletic as expected and his issues with pad level are a concern. However, he has good slide quickness, developmental traits and talent that should not be overlooked in pass protection. Shoddy footwork and a lack of half-man leverage in his pass sets led to a rough game against Arizona State, but both areas are correctable with work. He has the upside to become an average starting left tackle, but swing tackle feels like the safer projection.
It took the Bears over three hours to make their first selection on Day 3 of the draft after general manager Ryan Poles made several trades to turn three Day 3 picks into eight selections.
Chicago still has seven picks left on Saturday, including another fifth rounder at 174th overall, three sixth-round picks (186th, 203rd and 207th) and three seventh-rounders (226th, 254th and 255th).
The list of prospects who have visited the Broncos ahead of the NFL draft includes OT Matt Waletzko, RB James Cook and OLB Nik Bonitto.
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Each offseason, NFL teams are allowed to host 30 non-local prospects at their facilities ahead of the NFL draft. We will be tracking the Denver Broncos’ top 30 visits on this page.
The draft will be held in Las Vegas from April 28-30. The Broncos currently own nine selections, including a second-round pick and a pair of third-round picks.
Laying out an offensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers in each round of this year’s draft.
The Chargers have a few positions that need to be addressed in the upcoming draft, but offensive tackle sits near the top.
Luckily, this year’s crop has starting-caliber talent from the first day of the draft until Day 3.
With that being said, here’s a tackle from each round that could fit in Los Angeles:
Round 1, Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
Mississippi State’s Charles Cross would be the guy slotted here, but I am trying to also keep this as realistic as possible with players that will still be on the board when the Chargers are on the clock, and I believe that Cross will likely be gone within the first 15 selections.
Penning checks off on the measurables, hovering at 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds with arms longer than 34 inches. Along with that, he possesses the athleticism, having run an elite 40 yard dash time of 4.89 seconds and 7.25 seconds in the three-cone drill.
On the field, while he needs to clean up his leverage and hand usage to avoid penalties in the NFL, Penning has the size, movement skills to match, and a nasty temperament in the run game to start opposite Rashawn Slater right off the bat.
I could easily post a bunch of Trevor Penning's pancake blocks – some of them are truly impressive – but these ones mean more to me watching him drive a defender several yards off the ball to create a crease for running back to explode through. pic.twitter.com/vn6tTjn8Kf
Petit-Frere made 19 career starts with the Buckeyes, with seven coming at right tackle in 2020 and 12 at left tackle in 2021. During his college career, he allowed 36 pressures and three sacks while earning PFF run-blocking grades of 72.7 and 84.3 in his final two years.
At 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds with 33 5/8-inch arms, Petit-Frere looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle, and he plays with athleticism, flexibility and lower body explosion, controlling rushers in pass protection and moving bodies in the run game, but he will need to develop his anchor.
Mitchell led all FBS tackles with a 94.8 PFF grade, as he allowed only 13 pressures and three sacks last season while racking up the third-most big-time run blocks. In addition, he never committed a penalty or missed an offensive snap.
While he did not test very well at the Combine and will need to continue to get stronger, Mitchell is a tough-minded tackle, with the positioning and foot quickness to mirror and match, great hand techniques to keep rushers at bay, and run-blocking consistency at the first and second levels.
In what basically becomes a down block, Max Mitchell (RT) does a great job getting his hands to the LB's side and rides his momentum to the other side of the hash, creating a cutback lane for a TD. pic.twitter.com/Dxwcxq1KR4
Jones started 30 games, primarily at left tackle en route to earning First-Team All-American in his final two seasons.
He has outstanding size and length at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds with 35 3/8″ arms coupled with above-average athleticism, as evident with a 4.97 40 time and 4.84 short shuttle.
Jones will need to continue to get stronger, but he has solid foundation traits, with flexibility, footwork, and hand placement to be effective as a tackle at the next level.
Round 6, Zachary Thomas, San Diego State
Thomas was a three-year starter for the Aztecs at left and right tackle. At his best as a run-blocker, Thomas had a 90.1 grade on that front in 2020, fourth-best among FBS tackles, and an 89.6 grade in 2021.
Thomas shows functional athleticism, quality strength/leverage, comfortability as a reach and second-level blocker, and a high level of intelligence as far as picking up stunts/blitzes goes. Further, he has the potential to play some guard at the next level.
Round 7, Jean Delance, Florida
Delance possesses the ideal measurables and resume for an NFL offensive lineman at 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds with over 36-inch arms coupled with 37 SEC starts under his belt, playing both tackle and guard.
Delance was a key member of Gator’s starting five, keeping rushers at bay with his athleticism and vine-like arms, all while paving the way in the run game, as they ranked No. 4 in the SEC in rushing offense in 2021.
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Southern Utah offensive line prospect Braxton Jones
The Senior Bowl has served as a vehicle for small-school players to prove themselves to NFL teams. One of the biggest benefactors of that opportunity this year was Southern Utah offensive tackle Braxton Jones.
A two-time first-team All-Big Sky offensive lineman, Jones had long solidified himself as one of the best players in the FCS. With performances against FBS teams in 2021 and his Senior Bowl outing, he showed that he can not only dominate at the FCS level, but that he can also excel against an uptick in competition.
Jones projects as one of the most athletic offensive tackles in the 2022 NFL draft, and with his upside at the next level, teams will surely be lining up to take a shot on him.
Draft Wire had the chance to speak exclusively with Jones about the highlights of his collegiate career, practicing at Exos over the offseason, his Senior Bowl experience, and much more.
JI: You dealt with a lot this year, from playing two seasons in a year to being a first-team All-Big Sky, from going 1-10 to killing it at the NFL Scouting Combine. Amidst the ups and downs, how have you managed to stay focused and grounded?
BJ: The biggest thing for me is just being grateful, and with the gratefulness, I think comes happiness. Within Southern Utah, and us having some rough seasons, that can’t define you as a person. One of my goals was to go out there and try and win as many games as we could, but that didn’t go the way the team wanted it. But, I’m just grateful to be in this position, and to have these great opportunities, to even play Division I football and to go to the Combine was a great milestone in my life. It’s just so surreal to me, even to this day. I just say the biggest thing is being grateful, and being humble in the process, as well.
JI: You’re obviously athletic on tape, but going to the combine and putting up the numbers you did, what did that mean to you?
BJ: Yeah, for sure. For the pre-draft process, and combine prep and all the training I put in, I’ll just say shout out to my coaches at Exos, with coach Nick [Stodolski] and then coach [Jonathan] Barlow, as well. Two great individuals, and they really believed in me and in the things I could accomplish at the combine. I came in every day ready to work, and they coach me well, so I just say thanks to them, honestly. All of that stuff is a lot of technique and a lot of details you got to take in, and I was willing to do that, and they’re willing to coach me, so I’m very grateful for that.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
JI: A lot of the top prospects practice at Exos. How has it helped you to be working with some of the best in the business?
BJ: It was fun, honestly. It’s just like college football on the daily, honestly. You’re just with a bunch of guys that have a whole bunch of funny stories and stuff like that. You’d be around guys like Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis, Cade Mays; some of those guys that are just hilarious and fun to be around. It was great, meeting new friends and guys that might play a little higher level football than I did. But, we’re all coming together to play the same football at the end of the day, so it was just great being around those guys, and it was a great environment.
JI: You had the chance to go down to Mobile for the Senior Bowl. How was that experience?
BJ: It was very eye-opening. You’re going up against great athletes every day, and you have to sustain that greatness, as well, every play in and play out, it was a good environment for me. I liked it, and I felt like, the longer I could be in that environment with great players – and that’s how it’s going to be in the NFL – I’ll just continue to strive for grit and strive for greatness and everything like that. It’s great for me, and it’s stepping stone for me to be like, “You belong here.” I knew I belonged there, but some people say, “You didn’t play FBS ball or anything like that, so let’s see you do it.” It’s just to show them that.
JI: Do you feel like going against teams like Arizona State and San Jose State early in the year helped prepare you for going against FBS and Power 5 talent at the Senior Bowl?
BJ: Yeah, I would say it was just just reaching the surface of some of those guys and how athletic they are. It was great competition, those first two games in the season, but I mean, it even got better, so just continuing to perfect your craft and find your weaknesses and perfect those weaknesses, as well. It’s just an ongoing process; you’re always going to find somebody that’s better than the next, so it’s just fun to be able to go through that process and get better every day.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
JI: What was it like to be able to interact with all of those coaches and scouts from NFL teams?
BJ: I loved those meetings. In the Senior Bowl, we met with just about every team, 32 teams. You got to keep up your energy and always have a great attitude, and I had fun with it. It was very fun to me, being able to talk to different people, seeing how different people are, and different coaches, scouts and stuff like that. It was a great opportunity. I love talking about football or talking about life. It was just a beautiful opportunity. I was glad to be there.
JI: Which offensive linemen have you grown up idolizing?
BJ: So growing up, I mean, more in high school, I would say I’ve started watching a lot more NFL, obviously, just getting more and more serious about the game. But I was always a huge Tyron Smith fan from the Cowboys. The man is a freak of nature. He’s very technical, and he has strong hands, long arms. He’s just built like he came out of a [lab], like he’s a robot. I’ve always tried to emulate him and watch the stuff he’s doing, watch his highlights. It’s always been cool watching him the last 10 years of my life.
JI: How do you like to spend your free time outside of football?
BJ: Yeah, that’s a big thing, for sure, is being able to debrief sometimes. I know these days can get long, or if you’re doing two days, or what type of working out you’re doing. But they can get long, but if I have a lot of time, I like to go outside. I’m a big water guy, so if I can get next to the water…the ocean is super fun to me. If I don’t have enough time, just relaxing, [I] might play a few video games or play little cards, anything like that.
JI: Let’s say I’m an NFL general manager. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?
BJ: The biggest thing, I think, is just a coachable guy. I’m athletic, agile; I think I can move very well. You can see my speed through whatever the 40 is or just being able to move in space. But with all that, a lot of guys, I feel like in the league, can get this thing…maybe they’re highly drafted or they’re being paid a lot of money, and they’ve become not coachable. That’s something that I’ve always been. When I was an upperclassman at Southern Utah, just being able to be coachable, and then hear what the coach is saying, even though you might have a different thought of what you think you should be doing, but hear that, being able to communicate with the coach, and so I think I have so much growth within that. Then obviously, within my technique as well, there’s just so much growth with that, but being coachable is just going to help everything else.
Southern Utah OT Braxton Jones is up next in Unpacking Future Packers, a countdown previewing the 2022 NFL draft for Packers Wire.
The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers have made a living off of drafting offensive linemen on day three of the NFL Draft and developing them into bonafide stars.
David Bakhtiari, arguably the best left tackle in football was a fourth-round selection. T.J. Lang, Corey Linsley, and Josh Sitton were also day three selections for the Packers.
An offensive lineman that the Packers could target on day three of the 2022 NFL Draft is Braxton Jones. The Southern Utah offensive tackle checks in at No. 83 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Jones came to Southern Utah as a two-star recruit. He earned First-Team All-Big Sky Conference honors twice during his career. Jones ended his career at Southern Utah with 29 career starts.
Jones has prototypical length for the position. At 6-7, he has an athletic frame with long arms. He has quick feet to beat defenders to the spot in pass protection. While all the tools are there, Jones needs to work on his technique in pass protection if he’s going to carve out a long NFL career.
“The natural tools are there (length, foot quickness, change of direction skills, balance), but there are some breakdowns due to technical deficiencies,” Mark Dulgerian a contributor for Optimum Scouting said. “He’ll need to become much more consistent in his set angles and hand placement to better combat inside counter moves. Bull rushers give him trouble as well. He’s too light in his pants to handle NFL power specialists.”
As a run blocker, Jones plays with a violent demeanor. He’s a mauler and wants to bury the man across from him. He’s a good enough athlete to climb to the second level and hit his targets.
“He hangs his hat on his run blocking where he combines above-average foot quickness to reach, climb, and his hand strength to finish,” Dulgerian said. “He shows a strong desire to finish.”
Jones was an imposing figure in Big Sky Country, where he physically dominated the competition. The Southern Utah offensive tackle has a big week ahead of him during the Senior Bowl, where he’ll be going up against a talented group of edge rushers. In a recent interview, Jones said he was looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m excited for what this great opportunity brings,” Jones said. “This will be a chance for me to show I can play at the next level with great players.”
Fit with the Packers
As it stands right now the Packers have their starting right tackle in Billy Turner. That could change if the Packers opt to cut him to save some money.
However, if the Packers keep Turner they could draft Jones and redshirt him as a rookie. The worst-case scenario for Jones is he is a career-long swing tackle.
The best-case scenario is he turns into a reliable starting right tackle and becomes the latest day three offensive line gem for the Packers.
“He’s not ready to start in year one at this stage,” Dulgerian said. “There were too many breakdowns in pass pro in 2021 to trust him down to down next year. Tougher competition in college exposed how much he needs to add to his toolkit from hand placement to angles and ability to absorb skilled power rushers.”
Jones all the tools to develop into a rock-solid NFL tackle. He has the length and athleticism. Now he just news to refine his technique and add some strength to hold up against NFL pass-rushers.
If the Packers don’t address the offensive line in the first three rounds, it’s possible that they target Jones early on day three with an eye on developing him into their future starting right tackle.
