OLB Howard Jones

Originally posted by mike86:
Divsion II prospect who had 12.5 sacks. Impressive measurables:

6'2" 1/2
235
34 1/8 arm length

4.60 40 yard dash
40.5in vertical
124in broad jump

Tested as one of elite athletes at OLB. Could be very intriguing prospect in round 4-6.

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/howard-jones?id=2543645

Thoughts?

Instincts/Recognition-4-Undisciplined eyes. Flashes quick reflexes. Gets sucked inside and fails gap responsibility frequently.


Take-on Skills-4-Must improve hand usage. Allows pads rise and loses what he has for a power-base too often. Has long arms and quick hands but must improve technique. Lean lower body and struggles to anchor.


Range vs. Run-2-Covers a lot of ground. Long strider with very good closing burst. Will pursue and track down RBs from behind. Struggles to redirect and slow shuttles (4.41 SS, 7.16 3-cone) verified what we see on tape.


Tackling-4-Tackles high. Shows some pop. Has long arms and does a good job of lassoing ball carrier when in area code.


3rd Down Capabilities-2-Raw but shows major upside as an edge rusher. At this point, mostly finesse rusher with very good straight-line burst. Has some lower-body tightness which shows in his redirect skills, but has a flexible torso to maneuver around edge while engaged. Flashes ability to convert speed to power Flashes quick hands but needs lots of work in that area. Improved push/pull move as senior. Shows good upper-body power and has room to develop. Doing a better job of locating and tracking QB while working up the field as a rusher. Excellent production at small-school level: Set school career record with 35 sacks. Was moved from OLB to DE because he struggled in coverage. Has tightness and struggles to redirect. Limited awareness and range in zone and man-to-man cover skills.