Regrading Ryan Poles' 2022 NFL Draft class: Who Deserves a Contract Extension?

The NFL's rule of thumb is that you can't properly evaluate a draft pick until he has played at least three full seasons. That means we can finally objectively evaluate the 2022 NFL draft and determine which picks were busts and who earned a second contract with their team.

For Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles, this was his first draft class, and it wasn't without controversy. Let's take a look at the selections he made and evaluate who has played their way into that coveted contract extension and who may be jettisoned by new head coach Ben Johnson.

Note: only players who were still on the roster at any point during the 2024 regular season will be included.

Kyler Gordon

Poles' very first draft pick has been a home run. Despite a rocky start to his rookie season, Gordon began to turn things around late in 2022 and has since been one of the league's most reliable nickel corners. He finished 2024 with an impressive PFF grade of 76. Getting an extension done with Gordon is a no-brainer.

GRADE: A

Kyler Gordon — Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Jaquan Brisker

Brisker's 2024 season was cut far too short by a weird injury situation. He sustained a concussion in Week 5 and missed the entire rest of the season. Concussions don't typically knock players out for 13 weeks, plus he was said to be fine almost immediately after the season ended.

Regardless, missing so much time is both an indictment on Brisker (the best ability is availability) and also somewhat of an excuse. It's hard to give a player a full evaluation when a pivotal third season was so brief. Brisker looks like he can be a good strong safety for years to come, but given his concussion history, it's hard to say he's earned an extension already.

GRADE: B-

Jaquan Brisker — Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Velus Jones Jr.

Huge swing and a miss by Poles here. Jones was widely seen as a sixth or seventh-round prospect but Poles inexplicably chose him in Round 3. His two-and-a-half-year tenure in Chicago was an unending trainwreck of dropped passes and fumbles.

GRADE: F

Braxton Jones

We go from Poles' worst draft selection to arguably his best, this one coming in Round 5. While Braxton Jones is not an elite left tackle and probably never will be, he's been well above average for three years now at a vital position, finishing 2024 with an 80.8 pass-blocking grade. Despite Chicago's OL woes, Jones is not one of them.

The only knock on Jones is injuries. After not missing a single snap in his rookie year, Jones has now missed at least five games in back-to-back seasons. He's earned an extension, but it shouldn't reset the market.

GRADE: A

Braxton Jones — Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Dominique Robinson

Robinson's NFL career started with a bang as he whipped San Francisco's stud left tackle Trent Williams to the tune of 1.5 sacks and seven total tackles. For one day, it seemed like the Bears had found a true gem in Round 5. But the highlights ended with that one game.

Robinson never registered another solo sack and, in 2023, began landing on the 'healthy scratch' list almost every week. His time in Chicago, especially with new head coach Ben Johnson assembling his own coaching staff, is likely over.

GRADE: F

Dominique Robinson — Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Doug Kramer Jr.

A hometown kid who grew up in Hinsdale and went to college at Illinois University, Kramer was an immediate fan favorite, but injuries and being slightly undersized have relegated Kramer to a backup, and not a very good one at that. In fact, his best moments have come when he was inserted into games as an oversized blocking fullback.

Even in that role he found ways to be a severe disappointment. In the infamous 'Hail Mary' loss to Washington in Week 8 this past year, Kramer fumbled a handoff at the goal line that probably would have changed the outcome of the game. We've likely seen the last of Kramer in Chicago.

GRADE: D

Elijah Hicks

Once a team starts making seventh-round selections, expectations are understandably low. All it takes is some solid backup duty from a player drafted this late to consider the pick a good one. That's what we have with Hicks. For a seventh-round safety who has only seen action when multiple starters are injured, he's been fine. He even recovered two fumbles and broke up two passes this season, both career highs.

Despite being a reliable backup, Poles likely doesn't feel a pressing need to give him a contract extension. Ben Johnson's new coaching staff may retain him since he has one year left on his rookie deal, but even that's uncertain.

GRADE: B

Elijah Hicks — Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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