NFC North franchise eyeing former Tennessee Vols standout
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Velus Jones Jr could be heading to Motown. According to a report from NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, Jones is one of the players the Detroit Lions are eyeing in the 2022 NFL Draft. Jones, an Alabama native, is a fast wide receiver who is great in space and is a […]
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Velus Jones Jr could be heading to Motown.
According to a report from NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, Jones is one of the players the Detroit Lions are eyeing in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Jones, an Alabama native, is a fast wide receiver who is great in space and is a surprisingly decent red zone threat.
The former Vol ran a 4.31 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine which is obviously elite speed.
Jones probably has the talent to be at least a second-round pick. The only reason he's going to likely fall to the middle rounds is because his only productive college season came in 2021 as a sixth-year senior. Scouts could view Jones as a player who was only productive because he was so much older than many of the players he was competing against.
There are some reasons, however, that Jones wasn't productive earlier in his career.
First off, he was buried on the depth chart at USC for a few seasons. Jones transferred to Tennessee before the 2020 season, but he wasn't very productive in 2020 because of the terrible offense that former Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt ran (run, run, pass, punt).
Jones blossomed in 2021 while playing under Josh Heupel, an offensive mastermind who knows how to put players in a position to succeed.
If Jones had played in Heupel's offense before 2021, he likely would've been a much more productive player early in his career.
Whoever lands Jones will almost certainly be getting a bargain.
Featured image via Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
