Velus Jones Jr. had confronted the query in the course of the pre-draft course of, so the extensive receiver and return specialist from Tennessee was ready with a solution.
“Age is nothing however a quantity,” he stated throughout a Zoom name with reporters after the Chicago Bears drafted him within the third spherical Friday night time.
Jones joins the Bears with six years of faculty expertise — 4 at USC and two at Tennessee. He took a redshirt yr as a freshman at USC in 2016. And he took benefit when the NCAA granted gamers an additional yr of eligibility as a result of the 2020 season was disrupted by COVID-19.
As a sixth-year senior for the Volunteers final season, he totaled a career-high 807 receiving yards, 1,722 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns (seven receiving, one kickoff return).
Jones will flip 25 subsequent week, making him the oldest participant within the 11-man Bears draft class by a yr. For comparability, extensive receiver Allen Robinson was 25 in his first season with the Bears — and he already had 4 years within the NFL at that time.
However Jones pointed to his bodily situation as extra essential than his age.
“The largest harm I ever had was a excessive ankle sprain,” he stated. “By no means tore something, broke something, so I've the physique of, like, a 21-year-old. … Lots of people attempt to make it an enormous situation, however on the finish of the day, I can play ball, I’m bodily, I can run, I could make performs.”
Jones is way from the one participant drafted this week who had an extended journey to achieve the Bears.
Offensive linemen Zachary Thomas and Doug Kramer shall be 24 earlier than coaching camp and likewise had been in faculty for six years. Seven different Bears draftees had been in faculty for 5 years, together with Miami (Ohio) edge rusher Dominique Robinson, who shall be 24 this summer time, and security Jaquan Brisker, 23, who spent two years in group faculty earlier than enjoying three seasons at Penn State.
The one participant within the class who didn’t have an prolonged faculty profession? Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon, who performed 4 seasons and was the Bears’ first choose at No. 39 within the second spherical.
“(Drafting older gamers) was not intentional,” Bears normal supervisor Ryan Poles stated. “Final yr after the draft, for (the undrafted free agent) course of, there was like no one. It actually was sort of a cope with COVID as a result of plenty of these gamers took additional years. … That’s simply an impact of COVID on the draft that may linger, most likely, for an additional yr.”
The COVID yr didn’t have an effect on solely the Bears class. In response to Defector, this yr’s draft class general was a few full yr older on common than the earlier 5 courses.
In a have a look at among the oldest gamers on this yr’s draft, Sports activities Illustrated reported there have been no less than 17 seventh-year seniors in FBS locker rooms in 2021. One in all them was Japanese Washington offensive lineman Tristen Taylor, 25, who began faculty by redshirting in 2015, sat out most of 2018 with a knee harm and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bears on Saturday night time.
NFL entrance workplaces and coaches clearly hope the draft class isn’t simply older but additionally deeper in expertise due to the gamers who delay getting into the league for a yr.
NFL Community analyst Daniel Jeremiah stated earlier than the draft that he normally struggles to seek out the ultimate 40 to 50 gamers worthy of analysis on a 400-player listing however had no bother this yr.
NBC Sports activities’ Peter King reported the Baltimore Ravens stockpiled middle-round picks — together with six within the fourth spherical — due to their perception within the depth of the category. And Bears scouts echoed that sentiment because the group made eight Day 3 picks, hoping the excessive amount will end in a couple of hits.
“I didn’t assume (the draft class) was that thrilling on the prime,” scout Jeff Shiver stated after the Bears drafted Kramer on Saturday. “There’s not the film star up there, however it simply sort of blended by all the best way down. Like there shall be guys within the seventh spherical the place any person’s going to get steal.
“Particularly with all of our picks, and now we have a bunch of open roster spots. … We ought to have the ability to observe some good free brokers too.”
For scouts such because the Bears’ Breck Ackley, who had years of movie on Baylor working again Trestan Ebner, the additional yr allowed them extra analysis to verify their evaluations.
For the gamers, it gave them an additional yr to organize for the NFL transition.
That was the case with Robinson, who had an additional yr to develop after switching from extensive receiver to edge rusher in 2020. And it was the case with Jones, in line with Bears scout Sam Summerville, who stated he noticed refinement in Jones’ sport, together with route working, from the beginning of the 2021 season to the top. He additionally famous Jones’ maturity.
Jones was aware of utilizing the yr to higher himself.
“Having that additional yr to develop on every part, from being larger, stronger, quicker, soccer IQ, rising on that, particularly breaking down defenses,” Jones stated. “God gave me one other probability to do what I really like, simply enhancing myself as a participant and likewise as an individual.”
As for Jones being the oldest participant within the Bears class, Summerville stated age can get overblown typically, noting the entire gamers are available with the identical NFL expertise.
Poles additionally disregarded an age query.
“Certain, I want he was 19 years previous, however you possibly can’t have every part,” Poles stated. “It’s simply a part of who he's, and we’ll simply roll with it. He’s been sturdy, so I be ok with it.”
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