NFL Scouting Report: RB Tony Jones Jr.

It’s a tough world out there for running backs in the NFL. To the surprise of some, the Irish lost Tony Jones Jr. a year early as he decided to forego his 5th-year of eligibility and enter the pro ranks. Last year, 25 backs were selected by NFL teams but 14 of them came over the final 3 rounds. Does Jones have a chance sneaking into one of those slots for 2020?

SPECS

Name: Tony Jones Jr.
Position: RB
Height: 5-10 4/8 (per the Combine)
Weight: 220 (per the Combine)
Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL

STATS

BIO:

Jones took a redshirt in 2016 and was used minimally in the dominant 2017 team rushing season for the Irish. He had a mini-break out game that season versus USC at home with several punishing runs on the way to a blowout victory, yet most of the year he was relegated to mop up duty with an occasional foray into the spotlight.

He took on a larger role to begin 2018 picking up at least 7 carries in each of the first 5 games but finished the year with only 27 carries over the final 8 games to end on a disappointing note. However, Jones scored the game-winning 51-yard touchdown reception to cap off the undefeated regular season at USC then took advantage of injuries heading into 2019 to become the No. 1 runner for the Irish.

Jones took the bull by the horns with 5 games of at least 100 yards in his senior season–and while he missed the Virginia Tech game with an injury–he displayed remarkable consistency garnering 12 carries per game over the course of the year. Once thought to be a No. 3 option at best, Jones finished his career with nearly 1,500 rushing yards and 273 receiving yards.

STRENGTHS:

Nimble feet. Displays good balance when taking contact. A patient runner when his blocking is set up to give him space. Classified as more of a power runner who doesn’t shy away from contact. Developed better vision with more experience. Surprising burst at times. Jones is a very good blocker and an asset in the passing game with good hands.

WEAKNESSES:

A lack of top-end speed. Jones doesn’t exhibit a lot of wiggle in the open field. Prone to running directly at tacklers instead of making them miss. He was noted as a big receiver out of the backfield in high school but didn’t produce much in college. Struggles with vision when his blocking lanes are clogged. Often barrels into his own linemen instead of sneaking through holes in the line.

OVERVIEW:

Deep down we all kind of knew the Combine probably wasn’t going to be kind to Tony Jones. We can focus on the speed where his 40-yard dash was the 4th slowest from the backs who ran over the last two NFL Combines. Yet, when you look at the rest of testing it’s not promising either.

Jones dropped a little bit of weight for testing and scored poorly in the bench and 3-cone drill too. It’s likely not in the cards that he has the explosiveness to remain in the NFL.

PREDICTION:

Undrafted Free Agent, Signed by the New York Jets

There were some rumors that the Jets wanted to move on from Le’Veon Bell but the way his contract is structured that’s basically impossible until after 2020. New York has very little money tied up in their other backs (which includes Josh Adams for now!) and they could bring Tony Jones in for a look this off-season.

More scouting reports to come:

Alohi Gilman
Jalen Elliott
Julian Okwara
Khalid Kareem
Jamir Jones
Chase Claypool