Tag: Emery Jones Jr.

ESPN lists 3 LSU football players as preseason All-Americans

The Tigers lost a lot of production, but they still boast some elite talent entering 2024.

LSU loses a lot of key production entering 2024, most notably its starting quarterback and top-two receivers from a season ago.

However, this team begins the campaign as a preseason top-15 team across the board, and there’s a reason for that. This roster has a lot of talent, and ESPN has taken notice. On its preseason All-America team, the outlet included three LSU players.

The obvious one is left tackle [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], who is a first-teamer. Campbell enters his third year as the starter and has proven himself to be one of the best tackles in the nation. He’s seen as a possible top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Campbell has been LSU’s starting left tackle since his first game as a true freshman. The 6-6, 323-pound junior has started 26 straight games and could be the first offensive lineman taken in the 2025 NFL draft. He’s a polished pass protector and didn’t allow a sack last season in 491 pass-blocking situations, according to Pro Football Focus. Campbell’s power and strength also make him an excellent run blocker.

[autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag], who will play on the right side opposite Campbell and is viewed as a first-round prospect in his own right, was named to the second team.

Campbell wasn’t the only first-teamer, however. On the defensive side of the ball, he’s joined by [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr.[/autotag] After a very productive true freshman campaign, Perkins entered his sophomore year in 2023 with high expectations.

Though he remained productive, he wasn’t the game-changer many hoped he would be. That could change in 2024 as he has a different role in the revamped defensive scheme under new coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag].

After considerable debate about where Perkins should play, he will return to inside linebacker while also moving outside and rushing the passer on third down. The 6-1, 225-pound junior had 7.5 sacks as a true freshman in an edge rusher role. He moved inside as a sophomore, and while his sack numbers dipped somewhat, he matched his freshman total with 13 tackles for loss. Wherever Perkins lines up, quarterbacks have to be wary of him.

Only time will tell if LSU reaches its goal of a College Football Playoff berth, but if it does, these three players will almost certainly be a major reason why.

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LSU ranks top 10 in potential NFL draft prospects entering 2024 season

LSU could have quite a few top NFL draft prospects once again.

ESPN recently released a ranking of the top 10 teams in the country by how many 2025 NFL draft prospects they are going to have. LSU is one of the top 10 teams.

LSU once again has a super-talented roster, even with the loss of [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] on the offensive side the Tigers still have [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] who look to make plays. Add to that the fact that LSU has two of the top offensive tackle prospects in the [autotag]2025 NFL Draft[/autotag] in [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag] and the offense is in great shape.

On defense, the Tigers have a new defensive staff and [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr.[/autotag] is back and looks to increase his draft stock even more. Here is how LSU was ranked according to ESPN.

The talent for the Tigers starts in the trenches, where offensive lineman Will Campbell will have a chance to be the first at his position off the board. He’s not the only one, as Emery Jones also boasts a high draft grade heading into the 2024 season. Linebacker Harold Perkins has the potential to play his way into the first round if he can recover his freshman form. Then there are a handful of skill position players who could round out the later rounds of the draft.

Predicted first-rounders: 3
Predicted total draft picks: 8
Top projected prospect: OT Will Campbell

LSU will start the 2024 season against USC on Sept. 1.

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Two LSU Tigers make the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy

The Outland Trophy recognizes the best interior lineman in the country every season.

The Outland Trophy recognizes the best interior lineman in the country every season. Last season, T’Vondre Sweat from Texas took home the coveted trophy. On Tuesday, the preseason watch list was released for the Outland Trophy in 2024 and two of the Tigers’ best offensive linemen have made the list.

[autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag] are on the watch list. That is no surprise to most as these two players are two of the best offensive tackles in the country. Campbell is considered the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the 2025 NFL draft.

Campbell is a junior offensive tackle who started for LSU as a freshman. He has played in 26 games in two years and has shined. He made such an impact that he was honored with the No. 7 patch on his jersey to recognize that he embodies what it means to be a Tiger.

Jones Jr. was in the same recruiting class as Campbell and just like Campbell, he has played in 26 games in two seasons. He started in 24 of those games and is a huge reason why [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] won the Heisman last fall.

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Titans land stud O-lineman in way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft

In a way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft from Bleacher Report, the Tennessee Titans land their starting right tackle of the future.

The 2024 regular season is still more than a month away but some NFL analysts are already looking ahead — far ahead.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report recently released his way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft and in it, he has the Tennessee Titans landing a stud tackle to pair with JC Latham, whom they grabbed with the seventh overall pick back in April.

11. Tennessee Titans: OT Emery Jones Jr., LSU

The Tennessee Titans offensive line should take a significant step in the right direction during the upcoming season. But it’s not enough.

After fielding the league’s worst front five, the organization signed center Lloyd Cushenberry III to a four-year, $50 million free-agent contract. General manager Ran Carthon also drafted Alabama’s JC Latham with the seventh overall pick to man left tackle. Most importantly, offensive line coach Bill Callahan joined his son, Brian, as part of the Titans new staff.

The group being better than last year’s feels like a foregone conclusion. The unit isn’t complete, though. The right side remains questionable.

LSU’s Emery Jones is a natural right tackle who entered the Tigers lineup as a true freshman. He and Latham can give the Titans a young and exciting tackle tandem to keep Will Levis (or whomever) upright for the next decade.

The Titans have spent an extensive amount of resources in an effort to upgrade their offensive line, including the additions of Latham and the aforementioned center Lloyd Cushenberry III.

However, there remain questions at right tackle with that battle at the forefront in training camp. Nicholas Petit-Frere was believed to be the early favorite but John Ojukwu has earned from first-team reps in practice with NPF on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Regardless of who starts in 2024, adding a right tackle like Jones Jr. next year wouldn’t be the worst idea.

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LSU’s 2025 class building momentum for elite 2026 class

Louisiana’s 2026 recruiting class gives LSU the chance at another elite group.

LSU’s 2025 recruiting class is shaping up to be the best in Brian Kelly’s career and the best LSU’s had in a long time.

Its led by five-star QB and No. 1 overall recruit [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag]. He’s joined by two more five-stars in CB [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag]. Both players are considered the top recruits at their respective positions too.

The 2025 class is far from finished. With just 18 commits, LSU will look to add more. Ensuring the current commits make it past the finish line is critical too.

But it’s never too early to look ahead to 2026 when LSU could assemble a class just as strong. Louisiana is set to have one of its best high school crops ever next year, setting LSU up for another elite haul.

According to On3, 247Sports and Rivals, defensive lineman [autotag]Jahkeem Stewart[/autotag] is the top player in the country. Stewart hails from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, a place that produced the No. 1 overall recruit 10 years ago in [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag].

Stewart gives LSU the chance to land the nation’s top player in back-to-back classes. There’s a long way to go in his recruitment, but the On3 Crystal Ball gives LSU a 90.9% chance of landing Stewart. Underwood and Stewart in consecutive years is the type of core you can build a national title team around.

Stewart isn’t the only Louisiana product in the top 10. Offensive lineman [autotag]Lamar Brown[/autotag] sits at No. 5 overall. Given how strong LSU offensive line coach [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] is at recruiting Louisiana, it would be hard to imagine Brown going anywhere else.

Not further down the list, Baton Rouge safety [autotag]Blaine Bradford[/autotag] is on his way to earning a five-star. He’s out of Catholic High School, where LSU has several previous connections.

LSU has three five-stars committed in 2025 and the Tigers may not even leave the state to reach that total in 2026. With Stewart, Brown and Bradford, LSU can land the strongest core the state’s produced in some time.

There’s also OT [autotag]Brysten Martinez[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Aiden Hall[/autotag], two more top 50 recruits in Louisiana.

What might have LSU fans particularly excited is how good the Louisiana defensive tackle group is in 2026. Stewart’s at the top, but [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Berymon[/autotag] and [autotag]Darryus McKinley[/autotag] are three more top 300 prospects that LSU won’t have to go far to get.

Davis was able to turn around LSU’s offensive line after he capitalized on a strong 2022 Louisiana class that included [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag]. The 2026 class can have a similar impact on the defensive side for [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag].

The 2026 cycle has barely begun, but if LSU seizes on the momentum of 2025, it will be another special group. Kelly landed top 10 classes in 2023 and 2024. He came to LSU to work with this caliber of talent.

But there’s a difference between a top-five class and a top-two or three class. Top-five classes keep you in contention, but top-three classes allow you to compete with Georgia. That’s where Kelly and LSU look to be headed.

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LSU leads the way in Cole Cubelic’s SEC offensive line rankings

LSU’s offensive line could be the team’s biggest strength this fall.

Former Auburn offensive lineman and current [autotag]SEC Network[/autotag] analyst [autotag]Cole Cubelic[/autotag] recently ranked the top offensive lines in the SEC.

The LSU Tigers are No. 1 on his board followed by Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and Missouri. When you look at LSU’s offensive line, there are two huge reasons why the Tigers are sitting at No. 1 on Cubelic’s list. Those reasons? [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag].

Campbell and Jones are two of the top five offensive tackle prospects for the 2025 NFL draft with Campbell being the No. 1 offensive tackle and one of the top five overall draft prospects.

Combine those two guys with three other solid offensive linemen and the talent that LSU has on the offensive side of the ball and you have a recipe for what could be one of the best offenses in the country this fall. [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] and the Tigers offense will try to lead [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] to his third straight 10-win season on the Bayou.

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2025 NFL mock draft: Bucs make strange pick in latest 1st-round projection

This early projection for the 2025 NFL draft has a head-scratcher for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round

We have another 2025 NFL mock draft to break down, and this early first-round projection comes from Pro Football Network, and it’s got the Tampa Bay Buccaneers making a head-scratching selection with their top pick.

This mock has the Bucs picking at No. 11 overall, and spending that pick on offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr. out of LSU.

Here’s what PFN’s Owain Jones had to say about the selection:

(Jones) is a strong, balanced, intelligent offensive tackle who operates all aspects of offensive line play at a high level. With an evident power profile, elite size at 6’6” and 322 pounds, and exceptional hand technique, he is in contention to be one of the top tackles taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, a noticeable lack of burst, athleticism, and flexibility may lower Jones’ ceiling.

While the LSU right tackle may not have the athletic upside of his teammate, he can claim to be more polished and refined in their current evaluations.

There’s no arguing with the assessment of Jones, who is indeed one of the top tackle prospects in next year’s class, with all the physical tools to be a quality starter at the next level.

The odd thing about this pick is believing the Bucs would spend such a high selection at a position that’s a relative strength at the moment.

Obviously, the Bucs have one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles on the left side in All-Pro Tristan Wirfs, but Luke Goedeke also made huge strides last season as a full-time starter, and was quietly one of the best right tackles in the league.

It may not be common knowledge across every outlet, but unless Goedeke has some serious regression in 2024, it’s highly doubtful that Tampa Bay would be spending their top pick in next year’s draft on his replacement.

You can see Jones’ full first-round mock draft at Pro Football Network here.

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Lance Heard to see some first-team reps against Grambling

Lance Heard could be the next true freshman to make an impact on LSU’s offensive line.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is always looking for ways to improve the team, Especially after a rough game last week. It appears Kelly is looking to shake things up a little against Grambling this weekend.

Lance Heard was a five-star offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class that was ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the country, the No. 3 offensive tackle, and the No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana. This Saturday night in Death Valley, Kelly is going to give him a chance to run with the first team at offensive tackle, though it’s unclear if he will make the start.

My assumption is that he will be trying out for right tackle, the spot that is occupied by [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag] Jones was a Freshman All-American last season, but it’s possible he could slide over to play guard.

Will Campbell, owner of the No. 7 jersey patch, is cemented in the starting lineup.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 50 Emery Jones Jr.

We’re breaking down an offensive tackle who is headed into his second season on the Bayou, Emery Jones Jr.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re breaking down an offensive tackle who is headed into his second season on the Bayou, [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag]. Jones had a breakout season as a freshman as he wasted no time working his way into the starting lineup as he started 12 games last fall. He should be in for another big season as a sophomore.

Emery Jones Jr. Preseason Player Profile