The Chicago Bears 2022 NFL draft was, for the most part, a success. General manager Ryan Poles added two starters to the secondary in the second round and secured a potential long-term fix at left tackle in the fifth round. And even if Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Braxton Jones are the only "hits" from Poles' first draft class as a general manager, it will go down as a positive result.
But the Bears' 2022 rookie class wasn't the best in the NFL last season. Not by a long shot. In fact, according to a recent ranking of every team's rookie class by NFL.com's Eric Edholm, Chicago's first-year players ranked 17th. Essentially, it was a middle-of-the-pack group.
"Missing the first-round pick from the Justin Fields trade (which ended up being No. 7 overall) had to sting a bit for first-year GM Ryan Poles, but the Bears managed to check off some important boxes on the offensive line and in the secondary via their Day 2 and 3 selections, as well as the undrafted free-agent pool," Jack Sanborn after the draft. The former Wisconsin standout was arguably Chicago's top rookie before his season ended early due to injury.
Jones has a chance to be the biggest hit from last year's rookie group. If Jones becomes a fixture at left tackle, the Bears will be set up for long-term success at one of the most difficult positions to fill in the sport.
"Braxton Jones was the steal of the crop," Edholm wrote. "He stepped in at left tackle and looked to be exactly the kind of athletic mover and mentally tough competitor the Bears were seeking. Even with a few glitches, Jones" future appears to be bright."
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![Jack Sanborn](https://www.nfl.com/news/2022-nfl-rookie-grades-ranking-the-classes-1-to-32">Edholm wrote</a>.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://bearstalk-missing.invalid/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Brisker-Pats-1-Brian-Fluharty-USA-TODAY-Sports.webp" alt="Jaquan Brisker" class="wp-image-5873">Brian Fluharty - USA TODAY Sports</img></figure><h2 id="h-bears-rookies-impressed-despite-not-having-a-first-round-pick-in-the-class">Bears rookies impressed despite not having a first-round pick in the class</h2><p>It){kind=link}