Chicago Bears 2022 NFL Draft UDFA Profile: Jaylon Jones

The Chicago Bears signed Jaylon Jones to a UDFA contract at the end of the 2022 NFL draft. Jaylon Jones may be one of the most intriguing options for the Bears of the UDFA options. He is a cornerback from Ole Miss.

Jones was able to get onto the field as a freshman and was an SEC All-Freshman performer in 2016. He continued his career, but an injury in the team’s season opener in 2018 caused him to miss the entire season and redshirt the rest of the year.

He came back, and while he missed a little time in 2019, he was relatively healthy. Unfortunately, an upper-body injury ended his 2020 season short. Still, he was able to get back on the field for 2021, and show that he was healthy.

Jaylon Jones was able to work out at his Pro Day after not getting invited to the NFL combine. It was an important chance for Jones to show that he did not lose anything with his injury history, and he performed well.

Below you can see how he performed compared to Chicago Bears cornerback Kindle Vildor.

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With almost identical height and weight, it shows that Jaylon Jones is entering the NFL as the more explosive athlete.

The big difference between the shuttle and 3-cone cannot be ignored. This speaks to a change of direction and stop-start ability, which is valuable for NFL cornerbacks. Jones shines much brighter than Vildor, whose feet get clunky when changing directions.

Nobody is saying that because Jaylon Jones is a better athlete than Kindle Vildor that he will jump right in and take his job. However, it does give him a better chance than others facing higher uphill battles.

Jones has SEC experience, and really has injuries holding him back. Keep an eye on Jones and if he can stay healthy now that the big money is on the line. He could make a great addition to the secondary.