No Sudden Impact for Bears Receiver

It took until his sixth season before Velus Jones Jr. developed into a player who could impact college football.

It might take more time for the Bears to see their faith in the former Tennessee receiver justified.

This isn't to suggest wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. will be a poor draft pick by GM Ryan Poles, but he will need time, and as a result could be the Bears player to disappoint most in 2022. Blame overblown expectations here more than Jones.

Jones has all physical ability at 6-foot, 204 pounds and ran a 4.31-second 40, but wasn't necessarily quick to pick up what the receiver position demanded in college offenses. Stepping up to the NFL is a much higher level and contending with press coverage from defensive backs can be a much greater challenge.

Jones was at USC four years and did not fit into the offense with only 36 receptions. At Tennessee, he made only 22 catches in his first season.

It wasn't until his sixth and final year of college football that he made an impact with 62 catches for 807 yards and seven TDs.

Jones is just 6 months older than Devin Hester was as a rookie. “Age” didn’t hurt Devin and it won’t hurt Jones https://t.co/pPObF6kJP7
— Greg Gabriel (@ggabefootball) July 9, 2022

The best and probably the only way Jones makes an immediate large impact for the Bears is on special teams, and also if they limit his use on offense by simplifying routes and his role. This will put a cap on his production this year but might help him eventually develop after Year 1.

So, as a rookie he won't put up big numbers. The projection here for BearDigest was 30 receptions.

Another factor in this is it's not common for receivers taken after the second round to step up with big first years. At least it's been this way the last two drafts.

Is it possible receivers are being better scouted now? Or perhaps college passing attacks have reached a point of sophistication where it's easier for NFL teams to tell which receivers can fit in faster and should go in the first two rounds. The only two receivers drafted after Round 2 the last two years and make more than 35 receptions as rookies were Darnell Mooney and Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown.

A team needing help badly at wide receiver will have to get most of it again from Mooney, Byron Pringle and a collection of castoffs from other teams before Jones picks things up in Years 2 and 3, about the time he's 27 or 28 years old.

Jones won't seem like a disappointment then, but with all the elevated hype he's been receiving in Chicago as the team's only receiver in a draft when they really needed more than one, he's more likely to let everyone down in 2022 than meet expectations.

Here are the players most likely to disappoint in the rest of the NFC North as chosen by FanNation publishers within the division.

Detroit Lions

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN MICHAEL BROCKERS

The veteran defensive lineman is one of the oldest members of the Lions' roster. The 31-year-old was signed last season by new general manager Brad Holmes to come in and work with a roster that is going markedly younger.
Brockers dealt with a nagging shoulder issue during his first training camp in Motown and never really got into a groove production wise.
Unfortunately, Brockers only recorded one sack in 16 games and did not make many significant defensive plays in Aaron Glenn's defense.
Many believe there is still a role for a player with his experience level, but Detroit's coaching staff will likely scale back his snap counts this season to make way for the infusion of young talent that has joined the defensive line.

The hope is that a change in the defensive front to be more attacking will allow the defensive linemen on the roster to attack offensive lines.

"I'm playing more the strong-side end, 4i, 3 (technique), stuff like that," Brockers recently told reporters. "So, I think it plays well into what I do."

The addition of rookie Aidan Hutchinson should allow for more opportunities to attack one-on-one matchups, but Brockers will have to win battles more often to justify his position on the roster. It will be interesting to observe how much Brockers rebounds from the worst statistical season of his professional career.

-John Maakaron, All Lions

Green Bay Packers

WIDE RECEIVER SAMMY WATKINS

Contractually speaking, there’s no guarantee Watkins is going to make the roster. And the Packers tripled-down on the position by drafting Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure.

But in plotting a course without Davante Adams, coach Matt LaFleur proclaimed Watkins would be a “big part” of the revamped offense.

“I know he’s highly motivated,” LaFleur said. “Watching the way he works and the way he handles his business, he’s a true pro. We’re going to get a great version of Sammy Watkins.”

Watkins was the fourth pick of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He had two strong years to start his career, including a 1,000-yard season in 2015. His career has fallen off the face of the earth, though. Over the last six seasons, he’s topped 40 receptions just once and never touched 700 yards. Though, it’s perhaps worth noting that his two quality seasons with the Bills came alongside the Packers’ receivers coach and passing game coordinator, Jason Vrable. And he scored eight touchdowns for the Rams in 2017, when LaFleur was the offensive coordinator.

Still, there’s a truism among scouts and coaches that injured players get injured. The last four seasons, he’s missed 18 games due to an assortment of injuries. Watkins hoped that a new workout regimen will help him “revive’ his career.

It’s going to take a village to replace Adams. The Packers, who figure to start training camp with Watkins, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb as their primary trio of receivers, probably would be thrilled to get Watkins’ 2019 production with the Chiefs, when he caught 52 passes for 673 yards and three touchdowns with Patrick Mahomes. At this point in his career, though, Watkins is more name than game.

-Bill Huber, Packer Central

Minnesota Vikings

LINEBACKER D.J. Wonnum

Wonnum has had a solid start to his career after being drafted in the fourth round in 2020. He had a few nice moments as a rookie — including forcing an Aaron Rodgers fumble to seal a victory at Lambeau Field — and then led the Vikings with 8 sacks last season in his sophomore campaign. Because of that, some fans may be expecting big things out of Wonnum in 2022, even though he's behind Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith on the depth chart at outside linebacker.

Although it's possible Wonnum takes a step forward this year and is a productive member of a rotation on the edge, it's worth noting that his sack numbers from a season ago are a bit deceptive. Most of his sacks came when he was either unblocked or cleaning things up several seconds into a play, thanks to good coverage downfield. Wonnum ranked 50th in PFF's pass rush productivity out of 56 edge rushers with at least 300 pass rushing snaps, and he had just one game with a pass rush grade of at least 70. His run defense has also been inconsistent through two seasons.

Again, Wonnum won't have to be a starter this season as long as Hunter and Smith are healthy, and it's hard to disappoint too much as a rotational depth player. But I'd imagine that that's exactly what he'll be: a solid backup, not a third-year breakout candidate like his 2021 sack numbers might suggest.

-Will Ragatz, Inside the Vikings