From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas OT Christian Jones.
#70 CHRISTIAN JONES/RT TEXAS – 6052, 305 POUNDS. (RS SENIOR)
Senior Bowl
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Christian Jones | 6052/305 | 10 5/8 | 34 1/2 | 83 5/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.04 | 1.78 | 4.78 | 8.09 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | 20 |
THE GOOD
– Looks the part of an offensive tackle (athletic measurables)
– Big, thickly built, powerful blocker
– Reliable and rarely injured over his six years at Texas
– Experience playing both OT positions
– Strong initial punch to jolt defenders
– Tries to overwhelm opponents from the snap
– Great grip strength to latch on and maul opponents
– Experience with inside & outside zone schemes, along with pin-pull concepts
– Wide base in pass protection
– Good anchor when trying to absorb bull rushes
– Exceptionally long arms and wingspan to shorten the corner on rushers
– Smart and heady player who can pick up stunts and blitzes
– Great at down blocking to push guys to the second level
THE BAD
– Very slow lateral quickness
– Shows heavy feet trying to get to the second level for run-blocking
– Tends to overset against speed rushers due to agility limitations
– Can drift and lose his balance without contact
– Relies too often on initial power and short-area battles to win
– Bends at the waist frequently, which causes him to lose balance
– Displays high pad level in both run blocking and pass protection
– Needs to get to depth better from first step
– Struggles navigating to landmarks in pass protection
– Loses defenders in down-blocking situations if he’s not latched to them
– Swim moves and bendy rushers give him problems
– 29 penalties in four years of starting
BIO
– 48 career starts for the Longhorns (35 at RT; 13 at LT)
– 3,219 snaps (2,492 at RT; 688 at LT)
– 2020-2023 Academic Second Team All-Big 12
– 2022 & 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12
– 2023 Joe Moore Award semifinalist
– Seven-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
– Three-star recruit in the 2018 HS class, originally committed to SMU before flipping to Texas
– Played all OL & DL positions in high school
– Played two seasons of soccer in high school
– Didn’t start playing football until his junior year in high school
– Volunteered to help victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey
– Participated at the Reese’s Senior Bowl
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Are you looking for an NFL-caliber-sized RT with developmental upside? Well, look no further than Christian Jones (RS Senior) out of Texas. He is a big, strong, long-armed guy who uses his physical tools to his advantage as a blocker. He’s got plenty of upper-body power to drive DL and edge rushers into the dirt if he gets his hands on them. He showcases quick hands to strike first and has real pop in his hands. Jones has great grip strength to latch on and not let go of defenders easily.
He is No. 70, the right tackle, in these clips.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
He utilizes swipes frequently when he’s in short-area situations to break attachments. This was apparent in the Alabama game when he played well against their edge rushers (Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell) where they tried to utilize their power to go through him. Jones displays a nice, wide base in pass-pro situations. He can drop anchor well on opponents who try bull rush and try to drive through his chest. Jones thrives in down-blocking situations where he can use his overwhelming power and grip strength to move guys to his will. He’s able to seal defenders well on pin & pull situations in the run game and uses his long arm length to keep defenders from getting into his space frequently.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
Where Jones does get into trouble, is his lateral movement and agility. He must continue to work on these traits in order to deal with NFL-caliber rushers who use wide alignments, speed, a bevy of moves, and motorcycle lean to get around his wingspan or beat him to his spots. Explosive rushers will test his vertical sets to see if he’s able to drop anchor and protect the corner. When he was matched up with Will McDonald of Iowa St. in their 2022 game, this issue was magnified.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
Jones tends to be a waist-bender more often than not and plays with a high pad level that has led to him being pried open by defenders. When he isn’t able to make first contact, he can be prone to get beat by inside counters, swim, and spin moves. His heavy feet tend to stall out on down blocks in the run game and getting to the second level with Texas’ inside zone running scheme can be difficult for him. Ducking his head when coming out of his stance in pass-pro situations and tending to drift are skill areas that he will continue to need to work on. Penalties are something he will also have to cut down at the next level because they occurred way too much in his 4 years as a starter (29).
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
CONCLUSION
Overall, there is a lot to like with Jones. He has the athletic measurables, durability, and experience at both OT positions, and the power that he shows to move and displace blockers. I could see an OL coach who would really want to develop a RT with his traits later in the draft. He would be best utilized in an inside zone and power scheme in the NFL that can also implement pin-pull concepts to emphasize his strengths.
For the Steelers, if they decided to bypass a RT in the early rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, I could definitely see the appeal of drafting a prospect like Jones, who has a lot of potential and doesn’t need to start right away. He will definitely need time to develop and harness his skills and techniques, but he could be a solid starter down the line for a team.
My comp for him would be Brandon Shell (2016). A solid RT who’s had a long career in the NFL and took time before being ready to play at the full-time level. Jones projects to be in the same mold of career arc. A guy with his size, power, and intelligence should be appealing to teams looking for a future RT.
Projection: Early-Mid Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.9 – Backup/Special Teamer (5th Round)
Games Watched: at Alabama (2023), vs Washington (2023), at Texas Tech (2022), vs Iowa St. (2022)
