Amongst the annual undrafted free agent mayhem immediately following the NFL Draft are quality names that somehow sneak through the cracks. One name that failed to get recognition was Arizona wide receiver Cayleb Jones, who was one of 16 undrafted free agents signed by the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Cayleb Jones is not a household name amongst college football and NFL fans, the kid has some intriguing attributes that could help him sneak onto the Eagles 53-man roster, or at worst be a practice squad candidate.
The son of former NFL linebacker Robert Jones, Cayleb started his career at the University of Texas. After an altercation with another student athlete, he transferred to the University of Arizona. The felony charges brought against Jones were later dropped to a misdomeaner.
Once he transferred to Arizona and was out of the spotlight, he was able to break out of his playing shell and highlight himself as a sneaky good prospect heading into the draft.
Cayleb Jones is one of those receivers who is quicker on the field than he is fast on the track. He registered a 4.65 forty yard dash at the NFL Combine, but he can play much quicker than that.
Eagles
In his two years at Tucson, Jones recorded 14 touchdowns and just under 2,000 receiving yards. He was able to gain those yards and touchdowns by using his long arms to high point the ball over his head and make miraculous catch after catch. Because of this skill, he can be a threat both as a downfield receiver or in the redzone on either fade or back-shoulder routes.
Speaking of routes, Jones needs to clean his up. He needs to be sharper with them and take the extra steps out to create more separation from defensive backs.
The Eagles have had questions at the wide receiver position ever since Chip Kelly released DeSean Jackson. Not retaining Jeremy Maclin in free agency made the issue even worse. While Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, and Josh Huff are three home-grown talents on the roster, the team felt the need to seek help from Rueben Randle and Chris Givens.
There is still room for someone like Cayleb Jones to crack the roster on special teams and maybe (if injuries occur) slip into the weekly game plans.