ckparrothead
Premium Member
http://pantherinsider.blogspot.com/2005/04/matt-jones-is-beas-and-video-to-prove.html
You really have to see these videos. Jones is absolutely amazing. It's really not even fair. He's being dissed by traditional scouts merely because they haven't seen him play the WR position enough. Think about it, the only tape ANYone has of Jones playing WR is from the Senior Bowl, where it was his first time probably since high school or something.
Scouts just are not comfortable making projections based on one senior bowl set of tapes, and some incredible size/speed combination stats. These scouts have to feed their families. Calling Matt Jones the best player in the draft is going out on a looooooong shaky limb, the kind of thing that gets you fired or gets you labeled a genius.
Having said that, from my comfortable armchair I am willing to say that if Jones is not the best player in this draft, he is very close to it. He has the speed to get separation as a WR (clearly), he has the size and athleticism to reach above defenders and come away with the ball, and even outjump them for it (did you see him dunk the ball over the goal post like it was nothing?), and he has the hands to make those catches on a regular basis.
Really, tell me guys, someone PLEASE tell me, what more does he need to be absolutely dominant in the NFL? What more does he need, that he can't learn under the tutelege of a good WR coach? You watch the tapes, and these defenders try to get angles on him, and there just ARE no angles on him. Watch him play the WR position at the Senior Bowl, and you'll see that what he may lack in the quick juke-type moves, he more than makes up in flat out speed, acceleration, power, height, and hands.
Watch those tapes. Watch him run the deep fade to the outside, get the corner running full speed, then adjust to the underthrown ball, use his height and his vertical to make, gasp, a one-handed catch.
I look at the guy, and I just don't see what wide receiver moves would NOT be in his arsenal. Is he good running with the ball in his hands? Ask Nick Saban, who watched him do it on his defense all day for years. Is he speedy enough to go deep and be explosive? With 4.37 speed, yeah any corner in this league has to be on their toes. Is he quick enough to make the short-stops, hitches, and other moves? Absolutely, he's got one of the fastest 10 second splits of the WRs, and he's got impressive long jump and vertical too. At the very least he'd be as good as a mediocre starter with that kind of thing. He can obviously go over the middle, at 6'6" and 240 pounds. Can he get off the press? Well, you saw the tape. He's also big enough to where most corners won't be able to press him. Can he come down with the jump ball? Obviously. Can he use his body? Did so in the senior bowl game with his TD catch. Can he locate the ball, adjust, and make catches with his hands? Didn't drop a single ball at the senior bowl, and I just watched him on tape make a one handed catch on a deep fade route in the endzone.
So who's ready to take this guy at #2?
I wouldn't cry about it.
You really have to see these videos. Jones is absolutely amazing. It's really not even fair. He's being dissed by traditional scouts merely because they haven't seen him play the WR position enough. Think about it, the only tape ANYone has of Jones playing WR is from the Senior Bowl, where it was his first time probably since high school or something.
Scouts just are not comfortable making projections based on one senior bowl set of tapes, and some incredible size/speed combination stats. These scouts have to feed their families. Calling Matt Jones the best player in the draft is going out on a looooooong shaky limb, the kind of thing that gets you fired or gets you labeled a genius.
Having said that, from my comfortable armchair I am willing to say that if Jones is not the best player in this draft, he is very close to it. He has the speed to get separation as a WR (clearly), he has the size and athleticism to reach above defenders and come away with the ball, and even outjump them for it (did you see him dunk the ball over the goal post like it was nothing?), and he has the hands to make those catches on a regular basis.
Really, tell me guys, someone PLEASE tell me, what more does he need to be absolutely dominant in the NFL? What more does he need, that he can't learn under the tutelege of a good WR coach? You watch the tapes, and these defenders try to get angles on him, and there just ARE no angles on him. Watch him play the WR position at the Senior Bowl, and you'll see that what he may lack in the quick juke-type moves, he more than makes up in flat out speed, acceleration, power, height, and hands.
Watch those tapes. Watch him run the deep fade to the outside, get the corner running full speed, then adjust to the underthrown ball, use his height and his vertical to make, gasp, a one-handed catch.
I look at the guy, and I just don't see what wide receiver moves would NOT be in his arsenal. Is he good running with the ball in his hands? Ask Nick Saban, who watched him do it on his defense all day for years. Is he speedy enough to go deep and be explosive? With 4.37 speed, yeah any corner in this league has to be on their toes. Is he quick enough to make the short-stops, hitches, and other moves? Absolutely, he's got one of the fastest 10 second splits of the WRs, and he's got impressive long jump and vertical too. At the very least he'd be as good as a mediocre starter with that kind of thing. He can obviously go over the middle, at 6'6" and 240 pounds. Can he get off the press? Well, you saw the tape. He's also big enough to where most corners won't be able to press him. Can he come down with the jump ball? Obviously. Can he use his body? Did so in the senior bowl game with his TD catch. Can he locate the ball, adjust, and make catches with his hands? Didn't drop a single ball at the senior bowl, and I just watched him on tape make a one handed catch on a deep fade route in the endzone.
So who's ready to take this guy at #2?
I wouldn't cry about it.
