Round 3- Denver Broncos select: Dre'Mont Jones, DL, Ohio State

[Draft Crazy]

Geo nailed this pick via text right before it happened.

 

[femurov]

Can't argue. Solid value. Hopefully develops into a starter and gets in the rotation this year.

 

[fightinredantz]

Depth and add some inside pass rush. Not quite what I was thinking for our first defensive pick.

 

[megalodon30]

Mike Klis tweeted the pick 7 minutes ago. He must be in the future.

 

[Draft Crazy]

We already basically knew this, but Demarcus Walker... Goodbye! Unless you REALLY bump it up this offseason. He is in the wrong scheme. Do him a favor.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Geo was very pro Dre'Mont Jones this week. Like he was making the pick.

Jones always stuck out to me wearing that #86 on the DL.

Inconsistent but really blew plays up. Terrific tools. Fangio will do well with him.

 

[SpringStein]

From Dane Brugler:
DRE’MONT JONES | Ohio State 6026 | 281 lbs. | rJR. Cleveland, Ohio (St. Ignatius) 1/5/1997 (age 22.32) #86

BACKGROUND: A four-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Dre’Mont (DRAY-mont) Jones grew up playing basketball on the AAU circuit and played throughout high school, but his focus turned to football while at St. Ignatius. He joined the varsity football team as a junior, playing both offense (tight end) and defense (defensive end). He earned All-State and All-District honors as a senior with 58 tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss, adding eight catches and two scores on offense. Jones was a four-year letterman on the basketball team as a power-forward. Jones ranked as the No. 10 defensive end recruit in the country and considered offers from Michigan, Iowa and others before committing to Ohio State. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee (March 2015) playing basketball during his senior season of high school and redshirted his first season in Columbus. Jones’ father (Sanderline Williams) was a professional boxer (1982-93). Jones elected to skip his senior season with the Buckeyes and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES 2015: Redshirted Recovered from torn ACL 2016: (13/12) 52 4.0 0.0 0 0 0 Freshman All-American 2017: (12/11) 20 5.0 1.0 0 2 0 2018: (14/14) 43 13.0 8.5 1 3 1 First Team All-Big Ten; first OSU DL with two defensive TDs in the same season Total: (39/37) 115 22.0 9.5 1 5 1 HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE 6026 281 33 3/4 09 5/8 80 5/8 5.12 2.94 1.77 31 1/2 09’02” 4.53 7.71 - (no bench – choice) PRO DAY - - - - - 4.56 - 18 (stood on Combine runs, jumps, 3-cone) STRENGTHS: Nimble, loose-hipped athlete…initial and lateral quickness pop off the screen…shifty feet, making him a moving target and tough to contain…elite closing speed and uncanny pursuit skills for the position…quick, aggressive hands/reach to swim, swipe, snatch and create spacing…flashes power in his upper body to fend off blockers…first defensive lineman in school history with two defensive scores in a single season (interception return and fumble recovery in 2018)…graduated with a degree in sociology (December 2018).

WEAKNESSES: Tweener frame with a lean lower body…too easily moved in the run game due to his narrow base and marginal anchor strength…pads rise too quickly at contact…doesn’t respond well vs. doubles…inconsistent gap discipline because of his desire to make plays…needs to improve his counter measures when his first move doesn’t work…mediocre production with single digit sacks over 37 career starts…tore the ACL in his right knee (March 2015) playing high school basketball; missed two games after playing around in the locker room and lacerating his left leg on a nail, requiring stitches (September 2017).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Ohio State, Jones moved from defensive end to under-tackle in Ohio State’s four-man front, setting career-bests as a junior. He took a sizeable step in his development in 2018, expanding his pass rush moves and improving his recognition skills. Jones displays the first step quickness to make himself skinny through gaps and the lateral quickness that makes him near-immune to reach blocks. While he has high upside as a pass rusher, he tends to abandon his base in the run game and lacks the power to recover, allowing blockers to bully him from his spot. Overall, Jones must improve his run fits and play strength to be reliable on early downs, but his slippery movements make him a pest for blockers, projecting best in an aggressive front to slant and shoot gaps.

GRADE: 2nd Round (#56 overall) 8. KHALEN SAUNDERS | Western Illinois 6003 | 324 lbs. | rSR. St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway Central) 8/9/1996 (age

 

[SpringStein]

Geo was very pro Dre'Mont Jones this week. Like he was making the pick.

Jones always stuck out to me wearing that #86 on the DL.

Inconsistent but really blew plays up. Terrific tools. Fangio will do well with him.

I was 100% guessing - but since Elway and his team seem to like Ohio State players, I looked at him pretty closely due to our need at DT.

 

[Draft Crazy]

He always stood out when I watched Ohio State and I watch a lot of Ohio State games with so many prospects every year there. Seemed like he was always making plays behind the line. Never really a guy I had pegged for Denver for some reason, but always a guy that stood out to me in that #86 jersey.

 

[Duffman]

Overview
Jones is an extremely athletic one-gapping three-technique with the ability to play a disruptive brand of football on all three downs. 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.

Strengths

• Strong desire to be first out of his stance
• Good lateral agility and play speed to penetrate gaps
• Has a boxer's stick-and-move hand quickness
• Compact, powerful slaps shed blocker's punch to access their edge
• Fluid athlete with bouncy feet for sudden change of direction
• Makes clever adjustments of pursuit angles in space
• Short-area quickness becomes legit pursuit speed
• Possesses three-down traits and talent
• Feet and hands work in harmony as a rusher
• Can force guards to over-set with head fakes and jab-steps
• Shouldn't take long to develop go-to rush counters
• Movement skills and motor to hound quarterbacks with secondary rush

Weaknesses

• Top-heavy frame with narrow hips and lower half
• Lightweight frame needs muscle and mass for NFL interior
• Quick hands could benefit with additional pop in them
• Gets too straight-legged during engagement at point of attack
• Tall pad level and poor base width hinder contact balance
• Big, bully lineman can move him around if they get hands locked in
• Below average in freeing himself from down blocks and power
• Can be punched off-balance, forcing him to reset his rush attack
• Needs to get to counter rush move quicker for improved finished rate
• Size and strength concerns could make him one-gap dependent

NFL Comparison
Nick Fairley

 

[Draft Crazy]

My one concern with Jones is if he fits in a 4-3 or 3-4 better.

 

[fightinredantz]

My one concern with Jones is if he fits in a 4-3 or 3-4 better.

Fangio has confidence in Jones, so that is good enough for me.

The one thing I can see him bringing this year is some pass rush from the middle of the defense. If he can get pressure up the middle teams will need to account for him which should make Von and Bradley more effective when they rush the QB.

I hope in the next couple of years he is able to add some more strength and ability to play the run.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Fangio has confidence in Jones, so that is good enough for me.

.

I would think so. He spent a 3rd round pick on him.

Worst case Jones can come in on passing situations to shoot the gap. Hopefully he turns into a solid run stopper. Run stopping is the difference between him being a high 2nd and an early 3rd round pick.

 

[Mingo]

If you can believe Fangio (and I do) - he lets his position coaches develop their own boards.

 

[SpiritOf77]

Just about everyone looks great this time of year, but this quote from Adam Gotsis in regards to Jones strikes me as very believable :

“He’s a hard worker, man,” teammate Adam Gotsis said of Jones after practice on May 23. “He’s coming in and just busted his tail so far. He’s kept his head down and just working hard and it’s awesome to see. I’m trying to help pull him along. Everyone’s helped pull him along, so he’s going to be an impact for us this year. I’m looking forward to seeing him out on the field.”

 

[Mingo]

I am eager to see Dre'mont Jones in action as a Bronco. Both Wolfe and Gotsis can fight their way to the QB - or even occasionally collapse the pocket, but if Jones can penetrate using his speed and lower center of gravity - the QB is going to have to hurry and stepping up in the pocket is less of an option. Jones will also obscure the passing lane up the middle. In passing situations with Jones and Harris on the inside and Miller and Chubb on the outside it is going to present big problems for offenses to overcome.

 

[listopencil]

My one concern with Jones is if he fits in a 4-3 or 3-4 better.

More important is whether he's a one gap guy or a two gap guy. He's a one gap guy, and we should be playing a one gap scheme. So he should work out for us.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Agree

 

[LGM]

yep

 

[Draft Crazy]

Ya