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It’s still too early to get a feel for the direction the Dallas Cowboys will go with their first pick in the 2019 NFL draft. There are positions that could use an upgrade, but there are no glaring needs on the football team. Tight end, wide receiver, safety, edge rusher and defensive tackle could all be targets at No. 58, as Dallas traded away its first-round pick.
It’s a best-player-available situation, and that bodes well for the Cowboys. That player could be Ohio State junior defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones.
Measureables: 6-foot-2, 286 pounds
Stats:
Strengths
Jones has a good first step, in which he’s able to threaten the hip of interior blockers quickly, but it’s his subsequent steps that are elite. Unlike other interior defenders who can get to the hip quicker, Jones is able to carry that momentum through and to the quarterback.
He’s also shown patience and the ability to gain incredible width to skirt blockers, like the above play. Jones executes a club and swim, gets wide and is still able to explode forward to the quarterback despite playing too high.
Jones came to Ohio State as a defensive end, and those traits are evident in his tape, as he’s able to turn a tight corner around defenders to win an angle to the quarterback. Where Jones really shines is in his ability to use his length. He’s the best in the class at using the length he has to stay away from blockers. His hands consistently get inside and extend out to keep defenders off his chest while he scrapes against the run. His other calling card is his range.
Quarterbacks and ball carriers are not safe from Jones no matter their location on the field. He is able to get sideline-to-sideline with ease and frequency due to his superb conditioning. When blockers try to come down on him before climbing to the next level, they are consistently unable to affect his positioning in any way, as he sees and keeps them from getting into his frame on chips.
He also does a fine job of sliding laterally and reducing surface area to knife through double teams to terrorize the backfield. Jones displays powerful hands when he accurately places them on cross chops, club and rips, and spins.
Weaknesses
Jones has issues when he needs to disengage from blockers on runs coming through his bubble. He narrowly misses out on tackle opportunities because he’s unable to get blockers hands off him quick enough. He attempts to reach his arms out and flip his hips, but too often he’s unable to because he doesn’t fight with his hands against the run. Jones plays with pathetic pad level almost constantly.
Two plays in a row on the goal line show the issues he has playing much too high. On the second play specifically, he makes a nice move with the swim, but because he came off it so high, he gets pinballed into the runner and is forced to retreat, allowing a touchdown instead of making the goal line stop.
He’s able to hold up due to his lower body strength and hand usage, but in short-yardage situations, he’s consistently blown off the ball because of his high play. He needs to better understand when and how to deploy his spin move, as it is too often ineffective. He struggles when forced to make a decision at the mesh point, and could be schemed against at the next level with mobile quarterbacks if he doesn’t improve in his assignment soundness when it comes to the option. When he is working half-man situations and blockers get a hand into his breastplate, he has issues capturing the edge because he’s unable to wipe away the hand of the blocker.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Outlook
Jones is a perfect fit in the Cowboys’ defensive scheme. He has legitimate 10-plus-sack potential as a penetrating three-technique, and shows potential to improve against the run, as his biggest problem in that area was simply timing up disengagement opportunities too late.
David Irving will most likely not be a part of the team in 2019, and there is no more seamless transition from Irving than Jones. Their lean frames and athletic ability work perfectly for what Rod Marinelli wants to do with the defensive line. He’s not as long as the 6-foot-7 Irving, but he uses his length incredibly well.
With Antwaun Woods clogging up the middle and taking up doubles against the run, the linebackers playing at an even higher level next year (hopefully) and having DeMarcus Lawrence as a wall against the run, it would free Jones up to attack the backfield simply to cause disruption. His motor never stops running. He played a large amount of the snaps in games viewed of the Ohio State defense, and he never took plays off.
This is a good example showing the effort and long speed Jones possesses. He tracks this screen pass 20 yards downfield and catches the runner as he tries cutting back inside off a block. If not for that effort, this run could have been housed.
His grade fell just outside the first round because of his struggles against the run, but Dallas doesn’t pick until 58. So how does he make it there? Well, he could make it to their pick because he is undersized as a defensive tackle. If he weighs in anywhere under 290 pounds, teams may not feel comfortable with him playing a large number of snaps on the interior. His atrocious pad level could also be seen as a deal breaker for organizations, but because that can improve and it didn’t hinder his ability to rush the passer, it’s not a fatal flaw. With his fit and ability, it’s difficult to imagine a better player being available at 58 if Jones is there.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @daltonbmiller.
Gallery
Cowboys 4-round Mock Draft: February 15, 2019
Continue reading...
It’s a best-player-available situation, and that bodes well for the Cowboys. That player could be Ohio State junior defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones.
Measureables: 6-foot-2, 286 pounds
Stats:
Strengths
Jones has a good first step, in which he’s able to threaten the hip of interior blockers quickly, but it’s his subsequent steps that are elite. Unlike other interior defenders who can get to the hip quicker, Jones is able to carry that momentum through and to the quarterback.
He’s also shown patience and the ability to gain incredible width to skirt blockers, like the above play. Jones executes a club and swim, gets wide and is still able to explode forward to the quarterback despite playing too high.
Jones came to Ohio State as a defensive end, and those traits are evident in his tape, as he’s able to turn a tight corner around defenders to win an angle to the quarterback. Where Jones really shines is in his ability to use his length. He’s the best in the class at using the length he has to stay away from blockers. His hands consistently get inside and extend out to keep defenders off his chest while he scrapes against the run. His other calling card is his range.
Quarterbacks and ball carriers are not safe from Jones no matter their location on the field. He is able to get sideline-to-sideline with ease and frequency due to his superb conditioning. When blockers try to come down on him before climbing to the next level, they are consistently unable to affect his positioning in any way, as he sees and keeps them from getting into his frame on chips.
He also does a fine job of sliding laterally and reducing surface area to knife through double teams to terrorize the backfield. Jones displays powerful hands when he accurately places them on cross chops, club and rips, and spins.
Weaknesses
Jones has issues when he needs to disengage from blockers on runs coming through his bubble. He narrowly misses out on tackle opportunities because he’s unable to get blockers hands off him quick enough. He attempts to reach his arms out and flip his hips, but too often he’s unable to because he doesn’t fight with his hands against the run. Jones plays with pathetic pad level almost constantly.
Two plays in a row on the goal line show the issues he has playing much too high. On the second play specifically, he makes a nice move with the swim, but because he came off it so high, he gets pinballed into the runner and is forced to retreat, allowing a touchdown instead of making the goal line stop.
He’s able to hold up due to his lower body strength and hand usage, but in short-yardage situations, he’s consistently blown off the ball because of his high play. He needs to better understand when and how to deploy his spin move, as it is too often ineffective. He struggles when forced to make a decision at the mesh point, and could be schemed against at the next level with mobile quarterbacks if he doesn’t improve in his assignment soundness when it comes to the option. When he is working half-man situations and blockers get a hand into his breastplate, he has issues capturing the edge because he’s unable to wipe away the hand of the blocker.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Outlook
Jones is a perfect fit in the Cowboys’ defensive scheme. He has legitimate 10-plus-sack potential as a penetrating three-technique, and shows potential to improve against the run, as his biggest problem in that area was simply timing up disengagement opportunities too late.
David Irving will most likely not be a part of the team in 2019, and there is no more seamless transition from Irving than Jones. Their lean frames and athletic ability work perfectly for what Rod Marinelli wants to do with the defensive line. He’s not as long as the 6-foot-7 Irving, but he uses his length incredibly well.
With Antwaun Woods clogging up the middle and taking up doubles against the run, the linebackers playing at an even higher level next year (hopefully) and having DeMarcus Lawrence as a wall against the run, it would free Jones up to attack the backfield simply to cause disruption. His motor never stops running. He played a large amount of the snaps in games viewed of the Ohio State defense, and he never took plays off.
This is a good example showing the effort and long speed Jones possesses. He tracks this screen pass 20 yards downfield and catches the runner as he tries cutting back inside off a block. If not for that effort, this run could have been housed.
His grade fell just outside the first round because of his struggles against the run, but Dallas doesn’t pick until 58. So how does he make it there? Well, he could make it to their pick because he is undersized as a defensive tackle. If he weighs in anywhere under 290 pounds, teams may not feel comfortable with him playing a large number of snaps on the interior. His atrocious pad level could also be seen as a deal breaker for organizations, but because that can improve and it didn’t hinder his ability to rush the passer, it’s not a fatal flaw. With his fit and ability, it’s difficult to imagine a better player being available at 58 if Jones is there.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @daltonbmiller.
Gallery
Cowboys 4-round Mock Draft: February 15, 2019
Continue reading...
