2020 NFL Draft Arizona Cardinals: Josh Jones a huge steal at No. 72

The Arizona Cardinals passed on offensive tackle early in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they were able to steal Josh Jones in the third round.

This is one of my favorite value picks in the 2020 NFL Draft so far. The Arizona Cardinals were commonly connected to offensive tackles in first round prior to the draft but decided to go with Isaiah Simmons instead. However, they were able to find an extremely talented offensive tackle prospect in the third round, stealing Josh Jones from the rest of the league at No. 72 overall.

I was not a huge fan of the idea of Jones in the middle of the first round like he seemed to be valued earlier in the draft process, but he was a fringe first-round talent who fell way too far in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Jones has a nice combination of athletic upside and power at the point of attack at the offensive tackle position. He has long arms and keeps his feet extremely well at all times. Jones is always moving quickly on the football field, but his overall footwork is not exactly clean. He has some misteps in pass protection that are concerning, but his upside in that area is obvious.

Jones has an exciting combination of size (including great length), athleticism and power that gives him tremendous natural upside at the next level. The Arizona Cardinals have a need at the offensive tackle prospect, but their current starting duo of D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert are solid and will allow the Cardinals to bring Jones around slowly if they wish.

While he does need to work on his footwork and overall technique in pass protection, Jones has a chance to quickly grow into an impact offensive lineman at the next level. The Cardinals should bring him along slowly and let him grow into their starting right tackle either late in 2020 or to begin the 2021 season.