Deep dive into why the Chicago Bears should draft Paris Johnson, Jr.

Paris Johnson, Jr. makes more sense for the Chicago Bears

Here are the reasons I much prefer Paris Johnson Jr. over Broderick Jones. Let's start with some points made by offensive line expert, Brandon Thorn, in an interview with Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns. According to Thorn, Broderick Jones is a gifted but raw talent. In their first year in the NFL which is also Justin Fields' crucial third year in the NFL Paris Johnson has the advantage for the Chicago Bears over Broderick Jones. These advantages start with PJJ having started for two seasons versus Jones who started for only one season.

In addition, Thorn describes PJJ as more refined with his hand movements than Jones. Thorn also says PJJ is not as super refined with his hands as Peter Skoronski. However, Thorn also believes that Skoronski is a blue-chip player as a guard but not as a right tackle. He also says PJJ is silky smooth in his movements versus Jones who is a little more powerful. Thorn describes both as being very athletic but PJJ also is very good at moving his feet with leverage. Thorn does not comment good or bad on Broderick's ability to move his feet with leverage.

From all this, I conclude that at least in 2023 Paris should do a better job in pass protection than Broderick against NFL pass rushers, especially the good ones. To add context a legit criticism of Fields is that he holds onto the ball too long before making a decision. Given Thorn's insights and how important 2023 is to Justin Fields' development, I take this all as some strong evidence to heavily lean toward drafting PJJ over Jones.