Former NC State defensive tackle Justin Jones will look to be one of four former Wolfpack defensive linemen selected in the upcoming NFL Draft, which takes place April 26-28.
Jones came to NC State from Austell, Georgia, and South Cobb High School. He was a four-star recruit and picked the Wolfpack over offers from multiple power-five teams including Michigan State, Louisville and Duke.
After playing in primarily a reserve role in his first two seasons, Jones was an All-ACC honorable mention selection his junior year. His senior year he recorded 2.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
While that may not seem like much, as a defensive tackle, Jones’ role is to attract multiple blockers to free defensive ends and linebackers, and allow those players to collect tackles and sacks. Without Jones and defensive tackle B.J. Hill, defensive end Bradley Chubb would not have been able to set the school record for sacks and win ACC and national awards.
After the season, Jones was invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Jones was credited with two tackles in the game. Jones was then selected to attend the NFL Combine held in Indianapolis, where he ran a 5.09 40-yard dash, good for top 20 among all defensive linemen. He had 24 bench press reps of 225 pounds, a 29-inch vertical jump and a 104-inch broad jump.
Lance Zierlein from NFL.com says that Jones’ strengths include good overall play strength and upper body power, an ability to split through double teams and keeping his hands busy. Zierlein says his weaknesses are his relative lack of size (he measured at 6-foot-2, 312 pounds), sticking to blocks too long and his pass rush.
Zierlein projects Jones to be a fifth to sixth round pick.
According to RotoWorld, Jones has had interest from the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers, among others.At the NC State pro day, held at Close-King Indoor Practice Facility next to Carter-Finley Stadium, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick led the defensive lineman through some drills.
He may have been interested in any of the four defensive lineman, including Jones, although as Belichick himself noted, he won’t have a chance to draft Chubb because they are drafting too low. The Patriots have drafted two Wolfpack players during the Dave Doeren era already, offensive guard Joe Thuney and quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Jones is likely a day three pick in the draft, which is when rounds four through seven are held. The Giants hired a new general manager, Dave Gettleman, who developed a reputation for his love of “hog mollies,” big linemen on either side of the ball, during his time with the Carolina Panthers. In his first draft with the Giants, Gettleman will surely look to draft some “hog mollies,” which Jones fits the profile of.
No matter where he gets drafted, every NFL team needs six to eight defensive lineman they can rely on per game, and Jones will have an opportunity to be a rotational lineman for many years, if not a starter.
