The 2019 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. The Game Haus will be doing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones has been a star at the collegiate level and now will get a shot at the pros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca_COU5eZA8
Background
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: Redshirt Junior
2018 Stats: 43 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, one interception, two passes defended, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, two touchdowns
Size: 6-foot-3, 281 pounds
After his redshirt season, Jones has gotten consistent playing time, but his play was really elevated in the 2018 season. He played so well this season that now he will likely be picked in the first or second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
At Ohio State, Jones totaled 114 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, four passes defended, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and two touchdowns. There was a lot of pressure on Jones to perform this season after Nick Bosa, a player who could be the first pick, decided to rehab a core muscle injury and prepare for the NFL Draft after the third game of the season. Jones did not disappoint. Even though he was a player that needed to be accounted for on every snap by an offense, he was still productive.
Due to his athleticism, run stopping and pass rushing ability, Jones has molded himself into a solid prospect. Jones should be expecting to be picked in the back half of the first round or the first half of the second round.
Strengths
He is one of the most athletic defensive tackles in the class. Jones, with the quickness and agility mentioned, is a mismatch for most offensive linemen. He also has good flexibility and bend, all of which, make him tough to block.
His pass rushing also is near the top of the draft class for defensive tackles. He uses his athleticism and burst to help achieve this, but also has great pass rushing moves. He has shown to be good at the bullrush, the sim move, the spin move, rushing off the edge and even setting blockers up by going one way then dashing back the other way to get by them.
Weaknesses
Jones lacks play strength for a defensive tackle. He often struggled with double teams and should not be asked to take on a lot of blockers at the pro level. This also gives him problems with shedding blocks. This wasn’t always an issue at Ohio State, but with more powerful blockers in the NFL his limited play strength could be exposed.
While he is a good pass rusher, he is not a great run defender. He sometimes struggles to shed blocks, which makes it tough to be a good run defender. Jones will also not always maintain good gap integrity, as he’ll try to get past his blocker rather than staying where he should. He can at least be a good pass-rushing player, but if he wants to stay in the game for all three downs, he needs to improve against the run.
As a defensive tackle that is not gigantic, one of Jones’ greatest strengths could be his leverage, but he often times doesn’t use that properly. A lot of the times he will stand straight up, which gives him less leverage, but also makes him easier to block. He’ll need to keep a low pad level more often in the NFL.
Projected Draft Range: First round-Second round
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!