Velus Jones Jr.

Velus Tyler Phillip Jones Jr. (born May 11, 1997) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Jones played college football for the USC Trojans and the Tennessee Volunteers. He was drafted by the Bears in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Velus Jones Jr.
Chicago Bears
Position:Wide Receiver/Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1997-05-11) May 11, 1997
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Saraland High School
(Saraland, Alabama)
College:USC (2016–2019)
Tennessee (2020–2021)
NFL Draft:2022 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71
Career history
Roster status:Unsigned Draft Pick
Career highlights and awards
Player stats at PFR

Early life and high school

Jones was born in Mobile, Alabama and lived there until his family moved to Saraland, Alabama when he was eight years old.[1] He attended Saraland High School and was named first team All-State as a junior after catching 51 passes for 1,118 yards and nine touchdowns.[2] Jones repeated as a first team All-State selection as a senior.[3] Jones was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at USC. He later de-committed and then briefly committed to play at Oklahoma before re-committing to play at USC.[4]

College career

Jones began his college career at USC and redshirted his true freshman season.[5] He served as the Trojans' primary kick returner in his redshirt freshman season and gained 760 yards on 31 returns. As a redshirt sophomore, Jones caught 24 passes for 266 yards with one touchdown, returned 21 kickoffs for 483 yards, and also rushed for a touchdown.[6][7] He returned 29 kickoffs for 704 yards and one touchdown during his redshirt junior season and was named to the second team All-Pac-12 Conference.[8] After the season, Jones announced his intention to transfer from USC and ultimately committed to play at Tennessee.[9]

Jones joined the Tennessee Volunteers as a graduate transfer, and was eligible to play for the team immediately.[10] In his first season with the team he caught 22 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns and led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with 398 kickoff return yards.[11] Jones decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Tennessee.[12] He finished the 2021 season with 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns and was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year after returning 24 kickoffs for 628 yards and one touchdown and 18 punts for 272 yards.[13]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dashVertical jumpBroad jump
5 ft 11+3⁄4 in
(1.82 m)		 204 lb
(93 kg)		 30+7⁄8 in
(0.78 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		4.31 s33.0 in
(0.84 m)		10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
All values from NFL Combine[14][15][16]

Jones was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 3rd round with Chicago's 71st pick.

References
  1. Inabinett, Mark (February 4, 2022). "Saraland celebrates on Velus Jones Jr. Day". AL.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. Thomas, Ben (January 22, 2016). "Saraland WR Velus Jones flips commitment from USC to Oklahoma". AL.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  3. Hicks, Tommy (July 28, 2021). "Velus Jones Q&A: Ex-Saraland star ready for season". Lagniappe. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. "Oklahoma football: Four-star wide receiver Velus Jones flips commitment back to USC". Oklahoman. January 23, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  5. "Wolf: USC football must seek out next big playmaker". Los Angeles Daily News. December 28, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  6. "USC's Velus Jones Jr. and Greg Johnson intend to transfer". Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. Eure, Keely (August 14, 2018). "Velus Jones heads into year 3 more familiar with USC's system". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  8. "Tennessee announces addition of USC grad transfer WR Jones". APNews.com. January 22, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  9. "USC's Velus Jones will finish collegiate career at Tennessee". Los Angeles Times. January 9, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  10. "Tennessee's Velus Jones Jr. gives inside look at summer football workouts". Knoxville News Sentinel. December 14, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  11. "Vols' Velus Jones, Jr. Named To Paul Hornung Award Watch List". The Chattanoogan. July 29, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  12. "Velus Jones announces his return to Tennessee for 2021". Chattanooga Times Free Press. January 4, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  13. "Velus Jones Jr says Tennessee coach Josh Heupel lived up to his promises". Knoxville News Sentinel. December 14, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  14. "Velus Jones Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  15. "NFL Combine: Official measurements for every quarterback, wide receiver and tight end". theathletic.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  16. "Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee, WR, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
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