Christian Jones, OT, Texas (Senior)
Rayane M
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Strengths :
- Really powerful
- Footwork .
- Huge frame
- Good hand placement
- Active player
- Interesting in Pass block
Weaknesses :
- Age
- Agility
- Sometimes unbalanced
- Average run block
- Plays too high
OT Christian Jones
— Rayane M (@RayaneScout) February 26, 2024
At 24yo and at the level he's at, I find it hard to see him as a viable option as a starter in Year 1, but i can truly see him as a very useful rotation player capable of stepping in as a starter for a few games if your starter gets injured
🏗 4th Round pick pic.twitter.com/0mV4stza4y
TTProfil
C'est une perspective réaliste. Bien que Jones puisse continuer à s'améliorer avec un bon encadrement en NFL, il semble peu probable qu'il connaisse une progression spectaculaire de son niveau de jeu à ce stade de sa carrière. Cependant, il reste un joueur qui peut contribuer à une équipe NFL et occuper un rôle utile dans un effectif.
While he may not be the best technician in the class, he does have some really nice athletic abilities, a physique ready for the pro world, and a nice ability to protect the pocket for his QB in pass protection. He could still improve on his ability to block in running plays, but overall, it remains solid.
So, while I may struggle to see Jones as a clear-cut starter in the NFL, he has, in my opinion, a real opportunity as a rotational option and should be able to provide some valuable contributions for a while. I believe he can step in and get the job done at right tackle if your starter gets injured.
Personally, he's the kind of player I appreciate as a Day 3 pick, whether it's for a team needing to bolster its offensive line or a contender looking to add depth at the position.
I wouldn't have any issue with seeing him go in the 4th round, for example.
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While he's not extraordinary in this regard, Christian still possesses good footwork. Although he occasionally finds himself with flat feet in pass protection situations or may sometimes halt his legs after engaging in a block, Jones still has agile feet and a light step that could allow him, with the right coaching, to become a different type of player. Moreover, he has a really good leg spread that enables him to remain strong and stable.
Another very interesting point about Christian Jones is his enormous wingspan for his size, which allows him to close the distance with his counterpart when necessary. Moreover, he already has good hand placement in general, whether it's in pass protection or in the running game.
One thing I really appreciated about Jones is his highly active demeanor when he plays. He always seeks to block a player, even when he finds himself without a counterpart for various reasons. In doubt, he doesn't hesitate to block any free defender. I much prefer seeing that over a lost player wandering around with hands in pockets, watching flies fly.
To wrap up his strengths, we must mention his ability to Pass Block which is of really good quality. While we're not talking about something imperial here, it remains quite interesting thanks to his natural tools, namely his height, long arms, good mobility, and solid footwork. However, be mindful of the balance losses he may sometimes encounter, but we'll come back to that later.
On the agility side, while Christian has a Footwork On the agility front, while Christian is fairly decent and has good mobility, he doesn't seem to be very agile. At times, he struggles to change direction quickly when climbing to the second level and needs to readjust to the hips of the linebackers.
It will also be important to watch out for not losing balance when he's in pass protection and facing a strong power rusher attacking him directly with a hefty Bull-rush Because despite having good strength, as we discussed earlier, Jones doesn't seem to know how to utilize the technique of anchoring properly. As a result, he often finds himself bearing the full force of the opposing rusher who decides to Bull-rushIf this scenario doesn't happen frequently enough to raise a red flag, it would be good to see Jones work on adding anchoring techniques to his technical arsenal, especially considering his size, which is quite average for NFL tackles, and the strength he is capable of generating.
Finally, while Christian shows promise in his ability to protect his quarterback in passing situations, he unfortunately tends to be a Run Blocker quite average, especially when asked to "go get" his target. Zone blocking schemes are not his forte, as he struggles to secure the correct angle to block the defender. In power run plays, the same issue can arise when he needs to move to the second level and engage a moving linebacker. However, he performs better in power run situations compared to zone runs. He even shows flashes of effectiveness on certain straightforward running plays.