The combine has officially ended and now everyone can start to get a better sense on where each player will land in the draft. The value that a scout should hold in the combine is an age old debate that should be left for another time.
Not a good day for Mr. Jones
Dre’Mont Jones was on my mock draft and big board before the combine. Jones, the Ohio State product, dramatically underwhelmed scouts and evaluators. However, that could be a good thing for Patriots fans, as Dre’Mont could now slide further down draft boards.
Sliding down mock drafts
Before the combine, Dre’Mont had some saying that the Patriots would pick him with their 32nd selection. Now, it seems more likely that he will be available for one, if not both, of their second round selections.
Familiarity with Schiano
The idea of drafting Dre’Mont with a second round draft pick would certainly be worth the Patriots while. Dre’Mont was a dominant force at defensive tackle during his time at Ohio State. With Greg Schiano, one of his former coaches, becoming the defensive coordinator for the Patriots, trying to recreate some of the success he had with Schiano would make a lot of sense for the Patriots.
What makes Dre’Mont Jones so good?
- Great physical traits that should translate well to the pro level
- Good jump off the ball, quickly fires into gap
- Disruptive interior force, can rush the inside of an offensive line well
- Quickly gets into the chests of offensive lineman
- Good athleticism
- Good hands and footwork
- Finds success by getting upfield quickly
- Has worked with Greg Schiano before and the familiarity from both sides would benefit each other and the team
- Strong pursuit
- Head fakes and jab steps help him get into backfield
- Has potential to be a strong three down starter in the three technique
- Demonstrated good ability to turn corners with dropped shoulders
- A difficult player to move off the ball
- Displayed good run defense
The negatives in his game
Some of his negatives can be corrected but might take a bite into his game. Jones definitely has to improve on his size. He weighed in at 6’3, 295lbs at the combine.
Although that may sound like a lot to some, he could stand to benefit from a few more pounds. A couple fast food trips would not hurt Jones’ draft stock, but might hurt his quickness and pass rush abilities that really make him who he is.
Another problem for Dre’Mont can stem from his pad level at times. Some issues with winning battles against offensive lineman stemmed from his size and his pad level. This combo sometimes made Jones susceptible to losing one on one matchups against blockers. Which if a lineman could be quick enough to beat Jones and overpower him, Dre’Mont was virtually removed from the play.
Jones can still be a very good player
Dre’Mont Jones seems to be worth a second round pick and could provide a lot of value to a Greg Schiano defense. Although Dre’Mont does have some negatives, if he takes enough time to focus on himself and his craft, some of those problems can be minimized.
If it worked for Gerald McCoy, could it work for him?
The size versus speed debate on whether Jones should value one over the other will be a tough one that will probably follow Jones throughout his career. One of the better defensive tackles in the league, Gerald McCoy has faced similar struggles throughout his career. If Jones can duplicate the path that McCoy took and work on his craft in this very familiar system to him, Jones can be a very good Patriot for many years to come.
