Tag: ernest jones

Rookie LB Ernest Jones worked on pass rushing ahead of training camp

Ernest Jones is looking to improve as a pass rusher off the edge and blitzer up the middle.

Ernest Jones wasn’t drafted in the third round to be a pass rusher for the Rams. He’s an inside linebacker who excels in traffic and has a nose for the football, racking up 199 total tackles in three seasons at South Carolina.

But in the NFL, the more you can do, the better.

And so Jones is trying to make himself more valuable and versatile to the Rams by working on his pass-rush technique ahead of training camp.

“I’d say pass rushing, helping in that aspect of it,” Jones told reporters Sunday when asked what he’s been working on. “You know, we got (Aaron Donald) so we don’t need too much more of that. But, just developing that area and being able to come off the edge and rush the guards and create pressure – not only just making tackles, but creating pressure all throughout the game.”

Jones only had two sacks in college and 10.5 tackles for a loss, so he’s not the most experienced rusher. But in a 3-4 front, it helps when your inside linebacker can penetrate the line and either force runs outside or pressure the quarterback on passing downs.

When he’s not rushing the passer, Jones will be tasked with tracking down running backs and receivers in the open field. The Rams love the way he pursues ball carriers and always finds the football, which is a special trait for a linebacker.

“I always say that’s just God-given talent,” he said. “It’s just a smoothness inside that box that I just play with. When I need to be aggressive and need to press things, I can do that. But if I can slip and slide you, I’ll do that too. So that’s just, I feel like just a natural ability God gave me.”

Jones has a chance to earn a starting job right out of the gate, but he’ll first need to beat out a group of players that includes Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Kenny Young, Travin Howard and Christian Rozeboom. It’s not a star-studded group, but it is one with good depth.

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Rams agree to terms on rookie deal with 3rd-rounder Ernest Jones

The Los Angeles Rams finally agreed to terms with Ernest Jones, who they selected in the third round.

We’re about three months removed from the 2021 NFL draft, and the Los Angeles Rams are just now getting their second pick under contract. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Rams have agreed to terms with third-round rookie Ernest Jones.

Jones was selected 103rd overall out of South Carolina and is expected to play a role this season as a rookie at inside linebacker. He’s not the rangiest linebacker or the most explosive player, but he’s smart and plays the run well, which is an area where the Rams needed help.

According to Over The Cap, Jones’ contract is expected to be worth about $4.8 million for four years, with a signing bonus of $840,616.

Aaron Donald left Ernest Jones star-struck for a moment during Rams OTAs

Ernest Jones told reporters about his first encounter with Aaron Donald on the practice field.

Ernest Jones has gone from being the leader of the South Carolina defense to learning the ropes as a rookie in the NFL with the Rams. And as is the case for many first-year players, lining up on the same field as Aaron Donald can be startling.

Jones is part of the same defense as Donald now and during OTAs last week, he was star-struck for a second after calling out a play. Donald didn’t hear the call, so he asked Jones again, which caused the rookie to freeze up.

“Last week sometime, I was calling the play out and he didn’t hear it. So he asked me again and I about froze up because I was like, ‘Bro, this is Aaron Donald,” Jones told reporters Wednesday.

Jones has yet to sit down and talk to Donald, but that conversation is coming, he says.

“I didn’t want to fanboy him at first, so I kind of tried to stand back from AD,” Jones said. “I haven’t talked to him yet, but it’s coming. I want a one-on-one, full conversation with him.”

Jones isn’t the first rookie to freeze up in the presence of Donald. Bobby Brown III was also stunned when he finally got to meet Donald on the practice field after idolizing him while in college at Texas A&M.

Both players will get more comfortable around the future Hall of Famer, of course, but playing on the same field as him might take some getting used to.

Rams LBs coach: Ernest Jones is ‘exactly what we want in our linebackers’

The Rams identified Ernes Jones as a target early in the draft process.

Inside linebacker was a clear position of need for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 NFL draft, and they didn’t waste much time addressing it. At No. 103 overall in the third round, they selected South Carolina linebacker Ernest Jones to join an unproven group of players at the position.

Jones went earlier than some analysts expected, but the Rams identified him as a player they really liked and fits the mold of what they want their linebackers to be. Linebackers coach Chris Shula shared some thoughts on Jones on the Rams’ third episode of “Inside the Draft,” saying the Rams became impressed by him early in the process.

“He was someone we identified early in the process as a guy that really fits the mold of exactly what we want in our linebackers,” Shula said.

Ted Monago, the Rams’ assistant director of college scouting, also saw Jones as a better athlete than he initially expected, and his awareness in zone coverage stood out to him.

“Better athlete than I thought. He’s instinctive, long arms, good tackler, good awareness in zone.”

Jones isn’t a lock to start from Day 1, but he certainly looks like one of the Rams’ better linebackers on paper and should contribute early as a rookie.

2021 NFL Draft: NFC West Roundup from rounds 2 and 3

The NFC West was busy on day 2 of the draft, accounting for 7 total picks in rounds 2 and 3 for the Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals.

The Seattle Seahawks had just one pick on the second day of the 2021 NFL draft, selecting WR D’Wayne Eskridge at no. 56 overall, but the rest of the division stayed busy throughout rounds two and three. Here’s a quick look at the latest non-Seahawk additions to the NFC West:

San Francisco 49ers

Round 2, Pick 48: G Aaron Banks, Notre Dame

Round 3, Pick 88: RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State

Round 3, Pick 102: CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan

The 49ers traded down in the second round and filled a need at guard with the massive Aaron Banks (6-foot-6, 330 pounds), then traded both of their fourth-round picks to the Los Angeles Rams in order to select running back Trey Sermon, who famously rushed for 331 yards in the 2020 Big 10 Championship game.

With their compensatory third-round pick, the 49ers acquired ball-hawk cornerback and return specialist Ambry Thomas, who should immediately compete for starting special-teams duties and develop behind starting corners Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley.

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5 things to know about LB Ernest Jones, the Rams’ 3rd-round pick

Ernest Jones led South Carolina in tackles twice.

With a hole at inside linebacker, the Los Angeles Rams addressed one of their biggest roster needs in the third round of the draft. They selected Ernest Jones out of South Carolina at No. 103 overall, giving Raheem Morris a run-stuffing linebacker to work with in the middle of the defense.

Here are five things to know about the Rams’ third-round pick, who led the Gamecocks in tackles twice in three seasons.

Grading the Rams’ Day 2 picks, Tutu Atwell and Ernest Jones

Were the Rams wise to add a wide receiver at No. 57? Was Ernest Jones the right pick in Round 3?

Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams entered Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft with three picks in their pocket. At the start of Round 2, Snead teased a potential move to acquire an additional pick by trading back. But while the Rams did wind up moving down the board, they finished the night with only two selections.

And with those two selections, they left a lot of fans scratching their heads. First, they added a speedy receiver in Tutu Atwell at pick 57, a shocking pick in the eyes of most analysts, given Atwell’s size and projection as a Day 3 pick for some.

Then, they filled a need by taking linebacker Ernest Jones at No. 103, 15 picks after they traded their 88th overall selection to the 49ers. Jones will hopefully contribute right away on defense, but in the third round, it may have been a bit early for him to go.

So let’s get into the grades of Atwell and Jones on Day 2 of the draft.

Rams reach for South Carolina LB Ernest Jones in Mel Kiper’s 2-round mock draft

The Rams add some linebacker help in Mel Kiper’s new mock draft, selecting Ernest Jones out of South Carolina.

There are a lot of different directions the Los Angeles Rams could go in the second round of the draft this year, depending on who’s available at No. 57. They need help at center, cornerback, inside linebacker and edge rusher, with any of those positions being targets in Round 2.

In Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft for ESPN, he goes two rounds deep and sends the Rams a potential starter at linebacker. Kiper projected South Carolina LB Ernest Jones to the Rams at No. 57 overall, a new name for Los Angeles in mock drafts.

Here’s what Kiper wrote about the pick, acknowledging the team’s needs at center, cornerback and wideout.

This makes back-to-back teams that don’t have a first-round pick, as the Rams’ was used in the trade for Jalen Ramsey. L.A. has needs at center, corner and receiver, but I’m focusing on linebacker, where Jones could play one of the inside spots. He’s a tackling machine with long arms and the instincts to quickly diagnose at the snap. He had two games last season with 18-plus tackles.

The Rams are looking closely at wide receivers in the draft despite having four starting-caliber players already on the roster. They’re likely to draft a wideout at some point, but it’s not nearly as pressing of a need as linebacker.

Jones is a surprising pick, though. Kiper doesn’t have Jabril Cox, Baron Browning, Chazz Surratt, Pete Werner or Monty Rice going in his two-round mock, despite all of them being considered better prospects by most analysts.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Jones ranked 17th among all inside linebackers, giving him a 5th-6th round grade. Jones ran a 4.71 in the 40, so he’s not the fastest or rangiest linebacker, but he’s a tackling machine and did a nice job getting off blocks and making stops on ball carriers.

The Rams would probably be better off with a player like Cox or Werner, but Jones would help improve the run defense.

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