Chicago Bears: Poles plays “Let’s Make a Deal”, nearly doubles his picks

Offensive Line

Braxton Jones, 5th Round, #168
Zachary Thomas, 6th Round, #186
Doug Kramer, Round 6, #207
Ja’Tyre Carter, 7th Round, #226

People wanted the Chicago Bears to draft offensive linemen and Poles delivered. He drafted four of them!

Again, though, remember that the Bears are in rebuild mode. A lot, if not all, of these players, need time to develop. That is what the 2022 season comes down to, apparently.

A lot of young players will get some time to develop and Poles and Matt Eberflus and the coordinators get to see how well they did and if these players have a shot in the team’s future.

With the offensive line, Poles wanted to go for not just big guys but athletic ones. He didn’t want the overly big guys who aren’t able to move around.

Braxton Jones comes from Southern Utah State. Yes, he doesn’t have the competition that he would have at bigger conferences but one thing you look for is if that player dominated. Jones dominated the competition. Now he just needs some seasoning.

Jones is 6-foot-5 and weighs 310 pounds so he has the size needed on the line. He explodes off the snap and has good slide quickness. In pass sets, he stays square for a long period of time.

Jones needs some polish but he has the tools to succeed. The coaches just need to correct some bad techniques and work with him and he could then become a contributor on the line.

Zachary Thomas is a guard who also has experience at tackle. He has good run-blocking skills but needs to improve his strength. He comes off the block quickly and stays low to gain leverage.

Thomas engages and runs his feet through the whistle. He always keeps his feet grinding and moving bodies backward. He is athletic and has good body control to stay connected with the block.

Doug Kramer is a local kid who had his dream of playing for his hometown Chicago Bears fulfilled. He starred at Hinsdale Central High School and then went on to the University of Illinois.

This pick is likely another reach, as many analysts projected Kramer as an undrafted rookie. While some of these late picks were probably made to avoid competition signing undrafted players, Kramer wouldn’t say no if Poles called him.

With that said, Kramer is quick and has a low center of gravity. That helps him with leverage. He has a strong punch and digs in during pass protection. His change of direction isn’t very good, however.

What makes Kramer attractive is how hard he works to improve. When he is overmatched while blocking, he still fights to keep the block. His ability to stay low also helps his case. Despite being undersized (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) staying low gives him incredible leverage to win battles.

Ja’Tyre Carter played tackle but his frame and upper body strength will help him make a transition to guard. He has good feet which help him stabilize engagement. His hands are strong and once he latches them on the defender it is difficult for that defender to disengage. He projects as a career backup.

Poles assembled a group of offensive linemen who likely end up as good backups. We’ll see some of them get some snaps in 2022. If the starters the Bears have now end up playing well, this unit could be strong and deep and much more improved from previous years. If that is the case, it’ll make both Poles and Fields happy.