Admittedly, I didn't watch any Josh Jones games before the draft. I watched the Senior Bowl and practices but he was never on my radar because I didn't think he was going to be available to us.
I have now gone back and watched multiple games and here is my take:
Positives
- Consistent - he just seems to get the job done play in and play out
- Movement - he pulls to both sides with ease
- 2nd level - he can easily get to the second level and had plenty of successful combo blocks. Does a very nice job getting on a guy in space
- I haven't seen a game where he was beaten for a sack/pressure or a play where he looked bad. He did take a big bull rush from OU (IIRC) and got moved back big time + stepped on his own players foot but it didn't impact the QB/play. Gallimore got him on that again at the Senior Bowl practice (JJ was playing G).
- He is a technician - he clearly understands the play and how to take the best angles/drops/etc to consistently make the right blocks
Negatives
- 80% - he needs to finish his blocks better/more consistently. There are times he does a very nice job for about 80% of the play and blocks his man completely out of the way but then lets them back in late (QB scramble, doesn't sustain through the whistle, etc). Seems like an easier fix...anyone have experience with that?
- Power - he is not going to blow anybody up or manhandle people with power...he just gets in their way and moves them (not a huge negative...just an observation)
- Competition - always a concern with guys from schools like this one. Best schools he faced in 3 years were OU (2019) and maybe Washington St (2019). Maybe Temple (2018)
- I don't think he ever faced an elite pass rusher
The bonus is he runs the Air Raid offensive scheme already and looks really good doing it.
I walked away very impressed with him...surprised actually. If he can handle the transition to the speed/power of the NFL, his floor is a solid NFL starter. His ceiling is much higher than that (including an upgrade over Humphries at LT in 1-2 years).
