Christian Jones 2024 NFL Draft Profile
The 2024 NFL Draft class is absolutely loaded along the offensive line. Both tackle and interior offensive linemen have stars at the top, but filled with very quality depth. One player that might be slightly under the radar is Texas’ Christian Jones. Jones might be lost in the mix after a nice Senior Bowl and solid NFL Combine, but should NFL teams be a little higher on him? Let’s talk about it.
Jones, a former three-star recruit out of Cypress, Texas committed to play for the Longhorns all the way back in 2018. Jones took a redshirt in 2018 and was only used in field goal packages in 2019. Since 2020, he has started in 48 games. He has both left and right tackle experience, but the majority of his tenure at Texas was spent on the right side of the line. Allowing one sack last season and two the year prior is really good, considering the Longhorns played Alabama twice, Washington twice, and Oklahoma twice among other notable teams.
Christian Jones has the kind of frame (6’5, 318) and length (83 3/8″) you look for in a tackle. He uses that length combined with a very good punch to land first on his defender, throwing him off rhythm. Hands always seem to land in the right place every time. The footwork on the kickback is good as it stands, with room to develop. Same with knee bend, it needs to get better but is in a fine place right now. Love watching him hit his first defender and move up to the second level.
Jones doesn’t move very well, which can be a pretty big limitation in the NFL. He doesn’t have the acceleration you look for to move out on swing plays as a tackle to really make a difference. This also leaves him exposed to pure speed rushers, who do a good job getting around him if they can escape his wingspan. Pads are fairly high at times.
This tackle class is really good this year, which works against Christian Jones with him being a mid-to-late round guy. However, I have a fourth-round grade on Jones. I think he showed up in the big games over the last two years, and has a nice bag of tools to work with, and you can’t teach that kind of frame and length. I’d be more than happy to snag him early on Day Three.
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