The Vikings **announced Tuesday** that they have signed defensive lineman Datone Jones.
Jones is the third new name the Vikings have signed to their roster since the free agency period opened at 3 p.m. (CT) Thursday. He joins a pair of tackles in Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers.
An alum of UCLA, the first-round pick was drafted 26th overall in 2013 by the division-rival Packers.
Jones has played 59 games and made seven starts over four seasons in Green Bay. During that time, he's recorded 80 tackles (58 solo), 9.0 sacks, seven passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
Here are five things to know about Jones:
1. Has played 3-4 and 4-3
Jones has been listed both as an outside linebacker and as a defensive end, depending on what base defense he's in.
At UCLA, Jones played on the defensive line – with experience both at end and at tackle – and in Green Bay's 3-4 defense has lined up both on the line and at linebacker.
2. A Bruins reunion
Jones will be joining four other Vikings players whose alma mater is UCLA.
In 2012 and 2013, Jones lined up at defensive end in front of linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. The three made up a defense that in 2013 held opponents to 169 yards rushing and 217 yards passing per game.
Vikings long snapper Kevin McDermott and kicker Kai Forbath also overlapped with Jones during their time with the Bruins.
View images of Vikings new DE Daytone Jones from his days with the Green Bay Packers.
3. California roots
Jones was born and raised in Compton, California, sharing a hometown with a number of other professional athletes, including Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. Jones' hometown was just a 15-mile drive from Barr's hometown of San Pedro and 23 miles from Forbath's hometown of Santa Monica.
Jones attended Compton High School, where he lettered in track-and-field as a sprinter in addition to football. As a senior, he tallied 91 tackles, 7.0 sacks, nine quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and three passes defensed. Highly recruited out of high school, he was given a four-star prospect rating by Scout.com and Rivals.com.
4. In the community
In both college and the NFL, Jones has been an active face in the community. In addition to team activities that include playground builds and NFL Play60 clinics, Jones has spent time visiting patients in children's hospitals both in California and in Green Bay and was a representative for the American Diabetes Association at its inaugural "Team Tackle Project" seminar in Washington, D.C., in April 2016.
5. Family man
Jones and his wife, Lauren, were married in 2016. They have a daughter, Laila, whom they named after Muhammad Ali's daughter.
