Joe Burrow is sure to love Bengals' draft pick Charlie Jones
For the second straight year, the Cincinnati Bengals waited until the fourth round of the NFL Draft to add an offensive player. This time, it was Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones, who brings a skill set the Bengals will love. Jones might be on the smaller side, but he's an incredible athlete. He utilizes his […]
For the second straight year, the Cincinnati Bengals waited until the fourth round of the NFL Draft to add an offensive player. This time, it was Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones, who brings a skill set the Bengals will love.
Jones might be on the smaller side, but he's an incredible athlete. He utilizes his speed and short area quickness to win as a route-runner all over the field. And don't let the 5' 11" height fool you, he hauled in four receptions of 50 yards or more last year for the Boilermakers and is an expert at timing his jumps on deep balls.
Jones will do the little things correctly, as that is how he'll have to win against bigger and more physical defensive backs, but he has something that can't be taught. Jones' best trait, according to receivers coach Troy Walters, is his ball skills.
"Throw the ball anywhere and he's going to find a way to make a play."
That translates in any offense. You can teach better route running and the nuances that come with it, but the timing and feel for deep-ball tracking is much more of an innate skill. When focusing on his fit with the Bengals, the possibilities are exciting considering who will be throwing him the ball.
Joe Burrow has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league in many categories, most notably at connecting with contested deep passes and backshoulder throws towards the sideline.
In his lone and dominant year at Purdue, Jones caught 22 of his 42 contested targets and dropped just three of his 154 targets all season. In the intermediate range (10-19 yards downfield), Jones caught 10 of his 14 contested targets and graded out at 95.9 in that area of the field.
Things are definitely adding up with Jones fitting in this offense. He's an ultra-reliable hands catcher who knows how to get open, and remains open when covered due to his ball-tracking skills and ability to catch away from his body ball-tracking skills. Expect many back-shoulder sideline throws for Jones in the years to come.
