Overview
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 205 pounds
School: USC Trojans
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.65 seconds
Vertical jump: 36.5 inches
Ronald Jones 2018 NFL Draft Profile
In a draft that is considered one of the deepest of the last few years at running back, little is said about Ronald Jones II. Jones has been a consistent playmaker for the past five seasons. As a junior and senior at McKinney North High School, he ran for back-to-back 2,000+ yard and 28+ touchdown seasons. As a four-star recruit, he was one of the most sought-after prospects in 2015.
He chose to go to USC and made an immediate impact. He rushed for just under 1,000 yards coming off the bench for the Trojans. In 2016 he got the opportunity to start and he never looked back. As a sophomore he ran for a respectable 1,086 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning him a second-team Team All-Pac 12 roster spot. The following year, he built off his previous success and dominated the Pac-12. He ran for 1,550 yards, which was good enough for second most in the Pac-12 coming in only behind Heisman Trophy finalist, Bryce Love. His 19 rushing touchdowns were also good enough for second in the conference, tying him with Love and ranking only behind Myles Gaskin of Washington. His spectacular 2017 season earned both first-team All-Pac 12 and third-team AP All-American honors.
Strengths
- explosiveness with an impressive initial burst;
- has exceptional downfield vision;
- takes care of the football;
- dangerous in space with plus lateral quickness;
- exhibits good change of pace to elude tacklers;
- home run ability once he’s in the open field.
Weaknesses
- average to below average hands;
- will get overwhelmed physically in pass protection;
- not a factor in the passing game;
- although he’s physical, he’s not a short yardage option;
- only average at breaking tackles;
- already has quite a bit of mileage on his legs.
NFL Comparison: Jamaal Charles
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Second round
Bottom Line
Jones is an explosive playmaker who is currently going under the radar. His lack of impact in the passing game is hurting his draft stock in such a deep running back class, but he’s still a Pro Bowl caliber player. His combination of vision, agility, and burst make him a fit for pretty much every offense in the NFL. Although they don’t have the same skill set necessarily, Jones has the ability to be this year’s Alvin Kamara.
