Tag: Brandon Jones

Mock Draft Roundup: Two Longhorns In The Top 120

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, the Texas Longhorns have two players in the top 120 picks.

The NFL Draft season is now in full swing with the National Championship all wrapped up and players partaking in the postseason bowls, mock drafts will run rampant. The Texas Longhorns have a few players that could find their way to rosters during the first 120 draft selections.

Luke Easterling of Draft Wire provided his latest mock draft following the end of the college football season with two Texas Longhorns being selected. This mock is his deepest of the year with four rounds projected.

Round 3, Pick 85: Brandon Jones, Safety

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Jones is projected here to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round. The Eagles need help in their secondary considering how they were gutted by injuries throughout the season. Malcolm Jenkins is heading into his 11th season in 2020, Jones makes sense as depth and eventual starter for Philly.

Round 4, Pick 113: Collin Johnson, Wide Receiver

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys could very well use pick in the first four rounds on wide receiver, Collin Johnson makes sense for a team in need a receiver that can be a weapon in the red zone. Johnson’s size and length can be an advantage for a team who struggled with drops, his catch radius is huge. Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb are both free agents and not much depth behind Michael Gallup.

 

Three potential landing spots in the 2020 NFL Draft for Brandon Jones

Jones’ speed and athletic ability will give a few teams reason to give him a shot. Here are three landing spots for him in the NFL Draft.

Brandon Jones is the only defensive player expected to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft for the Longhorns, as wide receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay are expected to be drafted from the offensive side of the ball. Playing as a safety throughout his three years at Texas, Jones can help a few teams out right away.

Even a couple of playoff teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and San Fransico 49ers could use Jones’ services to make their playoff pushes even better. He could also be another piece in a rebuild that is close to contending like the Cleveland Browns.

Projected to go late in the second round or early in the third round, Jones will possibly be the highest-drafted Longhorn this year. His speed and athletic ability will give a few teams reason to give him a shot to become a key contributor to their teams.

Here are three landing spots for Brandon Jones in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Mock Draft Roundup: Draft Wire Projects Brandon Jones To Philadelphia

USA Today Sports’ Draft Wire is mocking Brandon Jones to Philadelphia, given their season the move would make sense.

In this weeks mock draft roundup, only one Texas Longhorns player is showing up in the top three rounds of the NFL Draft. If this were to hold true then Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay and company would have to wait until day three of the NFL Draft festivities to find out where they will be continuing their football careers

Luke Easterling has mocked the Longhorns safety to join the NFC East and the Philadelphia Eagles with the 85th pick.

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Brandon Jones heading to Philadelphia makes a ton of sense, their secondary struggled throughout the year due to injuries and lack of quality depth. In their playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles saw D.K. Metcalf and Russell Wilson pick them apart.

With the future of Malcolm Jenkins remaining a huge question mark, the Jones selection fits here for the Eagles. Jenkins who just turned 32 is going into his 10th year in the league. Jones can come in provide depth and play special teams to be an immediate contributor.

Devin Duvernay continues to be overlooked but once the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine roll around, expect a lot more attention thrown his way.

 

Texas Safety Brandon Jones Out At Senior Bowl?

Texas Longhorns safety Brandon Jones is no longer active on Senior Bowl rosters, could there be an injury?

The Reese’s Senior Bowl is a great opportunity for NFL hopeful’s to work with NFL coaches and impress scouts in one of their final opportunities ahead of the NFL Combine and Pro Day workouts. The Longhorns had three players that accepted invites to participate in the week long festivities. That list appears to be down to two.

Texas safety Brandon Jones did not participate in the Longhorns’ bowl win over the Utah Utes and now appears to be out for the Senior Bowl. Brandon Jones has been projected as a top 100 draft selection in most mock drafts. He still should be participating in the NFL Combine that takes place February 23rd through March 2nd.

Nothing on Jones has been released at this time and it is a situation that will be monitored.

2020 NFL Draft: Where are top Longhorns projected?

Where are Texas’ top three players expected to land in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Texas has not had a player drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2015. Although several Longhorns have been selected in middle rounds and have had successful professional careers, is it still worrisome that top level talent has not been produced?

Not quite. Former Longhorns offensive tackle Connor Williams stepped right in as a starter for the Dallas Cowboys, although injuries have somewhat put a pause on his career. Punter Michael Dickson continues to excel with the Seattle Seahawks. Even after being drafted in the sixth round, defensive back Quandre Diggs has clearly made a name for himself throughout his professional career. The list goes on.

However, player development could be a cause of concern within the Texas program considering they bring in a top recruiting class each year that hasn’t necessarily correlated over to the NFL Draft. With a new coaching staff in place in 2020, expectations will be high in the coming years.

Safety Brandon Jones and wide receivers Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson remain the Longhorns top draft eligible prospects heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Mock drafts are merely a projection on where each player is likely to be selected, but let’s take a look at where these three athletes sit currently.

In Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s mock draft, Brandon Jones and Devin Duvernay are expected to be selected in the third round. Jones lands No. 78 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles and Duvernay No. 94 overall to the Oakland Raiders. Although Collin Johnson is not listed in the top three rounds, he is the No. 30 overall wide receiver on Miller’s 2020 big board.

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has a similar trajectory of Texas’ top players beginning in the third round. Wilson lists Jones as the No. 85 overall selection to the Dallas Cowboys, while Duvernay heads to the New England Patriots at No. 93 overall. Johnson is listed at No. 118 overall to the New York Jets.

Although the buzz is centered around these three exciting players, don’t be surprised if Longhorns offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi and Zach Shackelford make a splash as mid-round selections also.

Impressive showings at the Senior Bowl and Pro-Day for Jones, Duvernay, and Johnson could raise these projections significantly, but the trend remains the same at Texas for the time being in terms day two and day three selections.

NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Draft Wire Week 16

In this week’s mock draft roundup, the Longhorns have a lone selection in the first three rounds with Brandon Jones.

It is time once again for the weekly mock draft roundup from Draft Wire who post one each week. In last week’s mock draft, Luke Easterling of Draft Wire had three Texas Longhorns in their top 100 selections with Devin Duvernay, Collin Johnson and Brandon Jones.

This week it is just a lone Longhorn in safety Brandon Jones coming in at pick 92 for the Denver Broncos.

92. Denver Broncos (from SF) | Brandon Jones | S | Texas

This would be an intriguing selection for the Broncos who currently have Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson already at starter. Jackson is in his 10th season after spending the first nine in Houston. Jackson is on a three-year deal but could be released for cap reasons after next season.

Jones would provide some depth at safety for the Broncos while also molding him to take over after Jackson giving Denver a young safety tandem along with Simmons.

2020 NFL Draft: Brandon Jones Scouting Profile

Brandon Jones of the Texas Longhorns looks to add yet another defensive back to the NFL.

Brandon Jones | Safety

Height | 6-0

Weight | 205

College Bio

Career Stats

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)

Mock Draft Roundup: Draft Wire Has Two Longhorns in Top 100

Two Texas Longhorns featured in latest mock draft for Draft Wire.

This time of year is big for NFL Draft media as they produce mock drafts almost weekly and the Draft Wire is no different. In their week 15 mock draft they laid out their mock picks for the first three rounds. For the Texas Longhorns there were a couple of selections. Luke Easterling gave his picks that involved one player on offense and one on defense. Both of them were picked in the 3rd round.

74. Carolina Panthers

Brandon Jones, Safety

The Panthers are a team that is in need of depth on the defensive side of the ball which makes Jones an attractive selection. Brandon Jones is a punishing hitter that can cause a few problems for offensive players as he can create some turnover opportunities with his jarring hits.

In the today’s NFL you need safeties to not only assist in stopping the run but also play coverage. What causes Jones to side down to day two of the draft is his lack of ball skills, while he isn’t the second coming of Earl Thomas, Jones shows he is plenty capable of making plays on the field, which is why the Panthers would do well to take Jones in the draft.

92. Oakland Raiders (From Seattle)

Collin Johnson, Wide Receiver

The way of offenses in the NFL are based on the passing game so not shock that the Raiders would look for a big-bodied receiver and what better place to get one than the Big 12 conference. They are known for high octane offenses that show out every Saturday.

Standing 6’6″, Johnson will tower over pretty much any defender that lines up against him. The thing that Collin does so well is box out defenders with his frame, which makes him a good target for Derek Carr and the offense in Oakland. This year the Raiders are 13th in red zone efficiency, adding a red zone target who can go up and attack the ball would only improve that number next season.

2020 NFL mock draft: Eagles land a CB, WR from the SEC in updated 3-round projections

Eagles land a CB, WR from the SEC in updated 3-round projections

With the NFL season halfway completed and playoff positions starting to fall into place, the time has started for the mock draft season in advance of the 2020 NFL Draft. If the season ended today, the Eagles will at No. 15 in the first round.

In the latest updated 3-round mock from Draft Wire, the Eagles landed three big-named prospects, two from the South Eastern Conference.

15. Philadelphia Eagles | Kristian Fulton | CB | LSU
Injuries continue to limit a secondary with tons of youth and potential, and the Eagles should continue to stock their cupboard with talented corners. Fulton is a big, physical cover man who could give them an immediate upgrade.

50. Philadelphia Eagles | DeVonta Smith | WR | Alabama

Smith, a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, has 1,026 yards and 11 TDs.

81. Philadelphia Eagles | Brandon Jones | S | Texas

Philadelphia has issues at both cornerback and wide receiver over the past two seasons. Fulton and Smith would immediately make the Eagles more athletic at the skill positions, while Jones would start the transition at safety from Malcolm Jenkins.