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In an article naming three Tennessee Titans undrafted free agents with the best chance to make the roster in 2021, we listed Michigan State product and defensive lineman Naquan Jones as one of them.
And Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski agrees, as he pegged Jones as the one Titans UDFA most likely to make the cut.
In either case, Tennessee didn’t immediately replace DaQuan Jones along the interior after he started 93 games in seven seasons.
Naquan Jones adds another option. The 6’3″, 313-pound rookie is strong at the point of attack. In fact, he played closer to 340 during his Michigan State Spartans career.
“Naquan can move at 340 pounds,” Michigan State defensive line coach Ron Burton told the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer. “… He can move at 330. But he can really move at 313. And (NFL teams) have that on film right now. They know he has that ability. And that should tell them he’s working his craft to get to the next level.”
As Sobleski points out, the Titans haven’t made a move to replace the snaps vacated by the departure of DaQuan Jones, leaving them up for grabs among Tennessee’s defensive linemen beyond Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry.
If no other moves are made to address the position, 2020 UDFA Teair Tart stands as the favorite to grab at least most of those snaps, with 2020 fifth-round pick Larrell Murchison also factoring in.
While Jones will have an uphill climb in getting starting snaps during his rookie campaign, the 6-foot-4, 313-pound lineman could land a reserve role as a nose tackle in 2021 if he can show out in training camp.
Our worst-case scenario for Jones would be to start the year on the practice squad, just like Tart did in 2020 — and that worked out pretty well for him, as he eventually ended up seeing significant snaps in the second half of the season.
To get more information on Jones, check out what pre-draft scouting reports said about the former Spartan by clicking here.
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