Overview
Position: Interior defensive lineman
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 281 pounds
School: Ohio State
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.12 seconds
Vertical jump: 31.5 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 2 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.71 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.53 seconds
Dre’Mont Jones 2019 NFL Draft Profile
The Urban Meyer era has officially come to an end at Ohio State. But during his tenure as the Buckeyes head coach, the program became a veritable pro football factory. 40 players whom he coached have been drafted by NFL teams thus far. But that number will certainly increase over the next few years, including in 2019. Among the former Buckeyes who will not only get drafted but possibly hear Roger Goodell call out his name on day one is Dre’Mont Jones.
The native of Cleveland, OH excelled on the edge at St. Ignatius High School and was rated a top 15 strongside defensive end by Rivals and 247Sports. But he ultimately kicked inside for the Scarlet and Gray after redshirting. It didn’t take long for him to become an impactful presence. He joined Dan Wilkinson and Luke Fickell as the only freshmen defensive linemen in Buckeye history to start at least 10 games. He also earned freshman All-American recognition from the Football Writers Association of America.
Jones continued to impress over his next two seasons in Columbus. He received third-team all-Big Ten notice as a redshirt sophomore and followed that up by garnering first-team all-conference recognition by the league’s coaches a year later. He also made College Football News’ All-America first team as a junior. Jones also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten and OSU Scholar-Athlete honors twice. And he’s already graduated with a degree in sociology, having matriculated in December.
Strengths
- supremely athletic with impressive initial burst;
- active hands with the ability to ward off blockers;
- has a plan B when his initial pass rush move doesn’t work;
- able to counter move with relative ease;
- can pull off stunts and twists as part of exotic blitz packages;
- garnered starter reps during all three of his collegiate seasons;
- a hard worker that has all the makings of a model teammate at the next level.
Weaknesses
- might need to add some functional strength to aid in power rush;
- lower body is a bit lean relative to upper;
- linemen with sound technique can guide him away from quarterback/ball-carrier;
- can be kept in check with power;
- needs to attack blockers in a more leveraged position with better knee bend;
- a bit of a clumsy mover when changing direction;
- has a good motor but sometimes turns it off late in plays.
NFL Comparison: Sheldon Richardson
Teams With Need at Position: Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: Could be a late day one selection
Bottom Line
A three-year starter who gained notoriety both for his play on the field and his academic excellence, Jones put it all together statistically during his final season with the Buckeyes. It prompted him to enter his name into the draft sweepstakes with one year of eligibility remaining. Considering he’s not expected to be on the board particularly long, that should turn out to be a good decision.
Jones brings plus athleticism and impressive ball get-off to the table. He’s also far from a one-trick pony in terms of the array of pass rush moves in his arsenal, something that can be lacking in prospects at this point in their football life. Having said all that, he is a tad undersized as well as a bit top-heavy. Those concerns with his frame could limit him to one-gap duty at the three-technique spot. In the end, this draft will indelibly known for its instant impact defensive studs. Jones certainly qualifies and should be off the board fairly early.
