The Cornerback Named as Bears Undrafted Player to Watch

According to Pro Football Focus, Leon Jones of Arkansas State is the player from the Bears to watch in an article citing top UDFAs from every team.

Arkansas State cornerback Leon Jones celebrates after a key defensive stop last season. / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Bears rookie minicamp is all about the undrafted free agents.

After all, there are only five draft picks made by the Bears working at it.

The majority of players are UDFAs with tryout status and nine signed UDFAs, along with a few veterans on tryouts and two veteran roster members. Someone had to do the long snapping for fourth-round punter Tory Taylor.

Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus has written a piece looking at the one UDFA to watch for each team and for the Bears it's not a player at a position most would expect.

Actually, they should, becaues Ryan Poles always seems to come up with cornerbacks.

Arkansas State cornerback Leon Jones is the UDFA to watch, according to Valentine.

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Jones is 6-foot-1, 192-pounder who played three years and 33 games for the Red Wolves. He made on interception, 63 tackles and had 20 pass breakups.

"Jones is a big corner who could provide length on the outside for the Bears secondary," Valentine wrote.

According to Valentine, Jones had a PFF performance grade of 70 or higher in four games last year.

Poles seems to have had a knack for finding cornerbacks. Of course, last year he used a second-round pick for Tyrique Stevenson and a fifth-rounder for Terell Smith. The year before he used a second-rounder for slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.

But he also came up with bench contributors from outside of the draft like Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell and Greg Stroman Jr.

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