5. Josh Jones, Houston
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 319
40-Yard Dash: 5.27 seconds
Bench Press: 24 reps
Vertical Jump: 28.5 inches
Broad Jump: 109 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A basketball and football star at George Bush High School
in Richmond, Texas, Jones first committed to Oklahoma State before switching to Houston over the offers of Nebraska and Missouri. He excelled for the Cougars in 2017 and 2018, but took things to a different level in terms of performance in 2019, and now is seen as a legitimate first-round talent.
“Those corners and linebackers, they see a 300-pound man running at them, they gotta make decisions,” Jones said at the combine about his play mentality. “Get out of the way, duck, whatever they gotta do. But that just opens up lanes and pathways for running backs and receivers.”
Stat to Know: Per Sports Info Solutions, Jones didn’t have a single blown block in the passing game in 2019. Houston’s running backs, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry in zone schemes and 4.9 yards per carry in gap schemes, averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and 3.3 yards per carry before contact, when running to his gap.
Strengths: Athletic technician with most of the assets you’d want in a tackle in a high-rep passing game with zone running concepts. Natural mover on sweeps and pulls; this could be an plus at the NFL level right away. Kick-step is a work in progress, but when he is smooth with it, and buries an edge-rusher to the middle of the pocket, that’s the kind of progress you want to see. Works easily to the second level in movement and hitting his targets. Showed marked improvement over the 2019 season.
Weaknesses: Has the natural athleticism to take seamless kick-steps, but has a tendency to get wide-legged against quicker edge-rushers to adapt to that speed. Needs to work on both core strength and latching through the snap as a drive-blocker. Aggressive with his hands, but needs more of a plan with it.
Conclusion: Jones is still a work in progress in many areas, but the growth he showed in the 2019 season is highly encouraging. If your NFL team is pass-first and you need a guy who can block that over and over, and show top-level athleticism in all areas, give Jones to your offensive line coach for a season, and you might just be rewarded with Pro Bowl potential.
NFL Comparison: Andre Dillard. Like the former Washington State standout, who was selected 23rd overall by the Eagles in the 2019 draft, Jones has some refinements to make, but presents as an ideal linchpin from an athletic and developmental standpoint. Power and core strength might be issues in the short term.