By Ryanne Riet | [email protected]

Braxton Jones grew up in Murray. He started his football career playing in the Murray Youth Football League. There he learned the fundamentals of the game and how to create and reach his goals.

“Not only was Brax blessed with great size and natural abilities, but he was a born leader, had razor sharp smarts, was a great teammate and was always very coachable,” said Jeremy Johnson, Jones’ former Murray Youth Football coach.

After more than a decade of coaching and watching Braxton Jones perfect his craft, Johnson speaks highly of Jones’ grit, determination and ethics.

“There are so many things about Braxton that make me proud,” Johnson said. “Above all, I am proud of his heart, his resilience, and his love and respect for his family, teammates and coaches.”

Jones then went on to play for Murray High School, where he graduated in 2017. From there Jones attended Southern Utah University.

“We knew that Braxton had a love for the game of football,” said his mother, Danielle Williams. “But it wasn’t until high school that he was really excelling playing offense and defense.”

Jones’ football career started to take off his senior year at Southern Utah University when he became the starting right tackle. This gave Jones a push in the right direction. From there his confidence in his ability grew as he became a better player and leader on the field.

“Once we saw him put in the work and effort, we knew that his dream was unfolding right in front of us,” Williams said.

On April 30, Jones heard his named called in the 2022 NFL draft. Jones was the 15th offensive tackle taken in the draft. The Murray High alum joined the Chicago Bears.

His mom attributes much of his success to staying the course and not giving up when things got hard.

“He always wanted to get better and be better. Even if he didn’t want to do something he dug deep within himself and found the courage to face whatever he needed to accomplish and achieve the next step,” Williams said. “It only goes to show that if you work hard and stay on a forward path, one day your dreams will come true.”