Brandon Jones | Safety
Height | 6-0
Weight | 205
Brandon Jones made the decision to return to Austin after his junior season when he could have made the jump to the NFL. Jones was the enforcer in the middle and he was hoping to build on a strong junior season to increase his standing on many team’s draft boards. Jones will be part of the Senior Bowl week with teammates Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson.
Strengths
The best part of Brandon Jones’ game is the physicality that he plays with. He often had to lineup over wide receivers in spread looks so disengaging blocks from pass catchers wasn’t an issue for him. He was able to stand his ground and get to ball carriers with little problems. Another valuable skillset that Jones possesses is his ability to close on ball carriers coming downhill from his secondary position.
For Jones, speed is the name of his game. It shows on the field that he has track speed. He shows ability to get from sideline to sideline to clean up tackles. He definitely has range in the defensive backfield and with the high flying offenses in the NFL, that will be needed no matter where he ends up. Jones also returned a few punts during his time in Austin to show he some ability if needed.
Weaknesses
No question that the biggest concern for Brandon Jones is his lack of ball skills. He has secured four interceptions during his Longhorns career but he left many more opportunities on the table. He will need to work at the next level to become a better playmaker on the backend of the defense. Most NFL teams need both safeties on the field to have some ball skills in order to put pressure on offenses to be perfect in their execution.
Jones needs to work on tracking the ball in the air a little better as well. At times it seems as though Jones is looking for the big hit over creating turnovers for the defense. Working with NFL coaches at the Senior Bowl should do wonders for Jones as mostly these issues are coachable and could make him a better playmaker for defenses.
Bottom Line
Brandon Jones is solid in stopping the run near the line of scrimmage, can rush off the edge in blitzing opportunities and punish receivers with his powerful hits. He is ideal for a box safety role at the next level. He will need to work on the ball skills to stay on the field in the NFL which is known mostly as a passing league these days.
Projection: Top 100 (3rd-4th round)