Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Everyday people are talking about the great depth of this draft class when it comes to the defensive tackles.  Well today will be no different as we put Mississippi State’s Chris Jones under the microscope.  He might not be one of the first ten defensive tackles taken in this class, but he can absolutely help an NFL team next year.

Height: 6’5

Weight: 308 lbs

Strengths

The first thing you notice about Jones is how incredibly fast he is off the line of scrimmage.  In fact, I’d call him the fastest man off the line in this entire draft class.  He combines his explosiveness with a great rip and swim move, giving him the ability to get into the backfield before the ball is even handed off to the running back.  These are rare gifts for a defensive tackle to have and give him enormous potential at the next level.

Jones has great length. More specifically he has long arms.  He uses these arms very well to keep opposing blockers out of his chest, giving him the ability to control them.  Jones only started 16 games in his college career, so expect him to get even better in how he uses his natural physical gifts.  His length, combined with his speed, also gives him the ability to move outside and play defensive end.

Weaknesses

Jones lacks the ideal strength to be a great run stuffer in the NFL.  He isn’t weak, but he’s not  power house by any means.  Jones loses a lot of his very mediocre strength when he plays too tall.  While his length is in many ways an advantage to his game, it will be used against him at the next level if he doesn’t learn to play with better leverage on a consistent basis.

Inconsistency is a themed weakness for Jones.  Along with being inconsistent with his leverage, he is also inconsistent in his jump off the line.  When he times his count right he is as good as anyone in this class, but when he doesn’t guess right on the snap then he can be the last man off the line.  When Jones doesn’t get the jump on his blocker with his speed, he is pretty manageable in a one on one situation.

While Jones shows eye popping speed off the snap, he doesn’t show the kind of closing speed you might expect when coming off the edge.  He also looks a little stiff at times making me wonder if he can be a real pass rushing threat as a defensive end.

Overview

Jones flashes dominance and has great upside in the NFL.  He may never be a great run defender, but his explosiveness off the snap is the kind of trait that could make him an elite pass rusher one day.  If a coaching staff can get him to play consistently low and as fast as he is capable of then he will be a steal in this draft.

Even if he doesn’t realize his full potential, he can still be a good situational interior pass rusher.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone take a gamble on his upside in the second round, but I’d expect him to be a third round pick.