Path to the Combine: Jarvis Jones

            Just a few short months ago Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o was perhaps the most highly touted linebacker of the 2013 draft class. Following the “Catfish” scandal Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jarvis Jones has moved into the spotlight. Over these past few months Jones has moved from one of the top linebacking prospects to one of the top prospects in the whole draft.

Standing 6’3, 241 pounds, Jones is nearly a clone of Von Miller with respect to build. Jones is a natural pass rusher, similar to San Francisco’s Aldon Smith. With a quick first step and tremendous agility, Jones is a terror to opposing Quarterbacks. Combined with a quick step are a wide variety of rip and swim moves and incredible body control. His spin move brings back memories of Dwight Freeney, a scary thought for opposing lineman. The attributes are nice, but the numbers speak for themselves and in just 2 years Jones recorded 28 sacks and 45 tackles for a loss.

Jones also possesses surprisingly solid coverage skills, due mainly to the fact he has sideline to sideline speed. A solid wrap up tackler, Jones sometimes gets in to trouble when he attempts to lay the wood on a ball carrier. Often times on run plays Jones will rely too heavily on his speed, completely taking himself out of a play by over pursuing. With that said, Jones does have good gap control and closing speed when he reads a play.

Perhaps the biggest negative facing Jones is his weight. At 241 pounds Jones has had trouble when going against the big boys on the line. I’d recommend he put on at least 5-10 extra pounds between now and training camp to fully utilize his potential. Another concern facing Jones is his health. While at USC, Jones was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and was not medically cleared by doctors. Many believe this could possibly lead to a slide in the draft, like Da’Quan Bowers of Clemson a few years ago.

In his 2 years at Georgia, Jones improved in every statistical category. As the best pass rusher in this draft, he can instantly fill in and be a teams DeMarcus Ware or Dwight Freeney depending on where he is lined up. If by some miracle he does slide to the Buffalo Bills, Nix and company will have a very tough decision ahead of them. Do they take the best pass rusher or the best Quarterback, two positions of dire need. Jones has a lot riding on the combine, if he impresses he will solidify his spot in the top 5. If he disappoints, let the slide begin…