Defensive Tackle | Ohio State | Junior
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 281 pounds
College Stats
2018: Started all 14 games for the Buckeyes; totaled 43 tackles (26 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and two passes broken up; became the first Ohio State defensive lineman in program history to score two touchdowns in one season, returning his interception 28 yards for a score against TCU and later recovering a fumble in the end zone against Michigan State; his three fumble recoveries on the season ranked sixth in FBS; named First-Team All-American by College Football News and to the All-Big Ten First Team
Career: Started 37 of 39 games at Ohio State; finished his four-season career with 115 total tackles (58 solo), 22 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and four passes broken up; in 2017, was named Third-Team All-Big Ten; in 2016 was named to the Freshman All-American team by the Football Writers Association of America; named an OSU Scholar-Athlete in 2016 and 2017
Profile
Summary: Jones stood out on the court before transitioning to the gridiron. The young athlete played basketball at St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland) and didn't start playing football until his junior season. In just his second year of playing the sport, Jones was named First-Team A-Division I as a senior in 2014.
At Ohio State, Jones redshirted in 2015 and in 2016 started 12 of 13 games played, during which he totaled 52 tackles. According to his **NFL.com draft profile**, Jones numbers "improved dramatically" from his sophomore to his junior season. In 2018, he was named First-Team All-Big Ten in recognition of a performance that included 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein mentioned among Jones' strengths that he has "a boxer's stick-and-move hand quickness," has "bouncy feet" that enable him to quickly change direction, has short-area quickness that becomes "legit pursuit speed" and that his hands and feet work well together.
"Jones is an extremely athletic, one-gapping 3-technique with the ability to play a disruptive brand of football on all three downs," said Zierlein, who compared the Buckeye to Nick Fairley. "His potential has never been in doubt, but in 2018 the production finally matched the talent. His body type and playing style will open him up to more feast-or-famine snaps than some of the other defensive tackles in this draft, but in the right scheme, he can become part of a swarm unit that plays on the other side of the ball."
Stacking up: Jones was ranked as the fifth-best defensive tackle in this year's draft class by The Athletic's Dane Brugler. NFL Media's Bucky Brooks did not include Jones in his pre-combine top five.
Cleveland native: Jones grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and called himself a "crazy Browns fan." When Jones spoke to members of the media at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, he told reporters that his love for football – and specifically the Browns and Buckeyes – started at a young age.
"I watched the Browns every Sunday with my dad," Jones said. "It was like our thing: watch the game, get some food, chill, relax, watch Ohio State on Saturdays. So I mean, kind of how it really started."
