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Round 4 - Pick 111 - Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State

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I honestly didn't realize how well of a pass blocker Jones graded out the last few years.. While he's been viewed as a RT, have to wonder if Browns see him as a chance of making it at LT..

Jones also had an elite zone blocking grade (90.8) which is right up the Stefanski/Callahan alley..





 
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Part 2, OL: Buyer beware...

Ohio State's Dawand Jones epitomizes an ultra-polarizing class of offensive linemen. He could be a "Hall of Famer" but, as is the case with everyone in 2023, scouts have serious questions.
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McGinn Draft

Part 2, OL: Buyer beware...​

Ohio State's Dawand Jones epitomizes an ultra-polarizing class of offensive linemen. He could be a "Hall of Famer" but, as is the case with everyone in 2023, scouts have serious questions.​


Faced with a short list of draft-eligible offensive linemen, NFL decision-makers gaze upon Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones with a mixture of hope and dread.

Through the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 31, Jones was the toast of the pro football world, a giant of a man coming off a brutishly brilliant opening practice at the Senior Bowl.

Two and a half months later, the air long removed from his early off-season momentum, Jones represents just another messy question mark in a position group overflowing with them.

...

Clearly, the path to first-round money and notoriety was wide open for Dawand Jones after his destructive work in Day One at the Senior Bowl. “It was almost embarrassing the way he went out and was throwing people around,” said an AFC evaluator.

At one point, Jones practically body-slammed Army’s Andre Carter out of bounds during one drill. “I said, ‘Oh, my God,’” another scout recalled.

Then it was over. Jones decided not to practice the rest of the week or play in the game. A month later, at the combine, he agreed to run two 40’s and do drill work but turned down the bench press, the jumps and the shuttle runs. When pro day arrived in Columbus, Jones stood around refusing to work or even weigh in.

“After the first day of the Senior Bowl, when he was the talk of the town, he completely f---ed this whole thing up,” an evaluator said. “He had one good day of practice and then basically shut himself down. He’s killed himself in the process.”

Listed at 359 by Ohio State in the fall, Jones scaled 374 at the combine while measuring 6-8 1/4. He clocked 5.36 in the 40. His arms (36 3/8 inches) and hands (11 5/8 inches) each were among the longest recorded.

In the last 10 years, five tackles of Jones’ physical dimensions have been drafted. Two became fine players, one failed, one has been bedeviled by injury and another has barely played.

Trent Brown (6-8 ½, 353, 5.26, 36, 10 7/8), a seventh-round pick in 2015, and Orlando Brown (6-8, 340, 5.68, 35, 9 ¾), a third-round choice in 2018, are in the midst of outstanding careers. Zach Banner (6-8 ½, 353, 5.59, 34 7/8, 10 ¾), a fourth-round pick in 2017, was a bust. Mekhi Becton (6-7 ½, 357, 5.11, 35 5/8, 10 ¾), the No. 11 pick in 2020, has started just 14 games in three seasons due largely to injury. Yet to be heard from is Daniel Faalele (6-8, 390, 5.60, 35 1/8, 11), a fourth-round selection last year. He made one start and played 169 snaps as a rookie for the Ravens.

Since Jones pulled back, evaluators have expressed serious concern. In the survey, the scouts were asked to pick which of the top offensive linemen was most likely to bust.

Dawand Jones was a runaway choice with seven votes compared to two each for Broderick Jones and Wright and one each for Bergeron, Harrison, Johnson and Skoronski. One of the 16 scouts declined to vote.

“He’s a better athlete than Orlando Brown,” said one personnel man. “If he had clean character and wasn’t lazy and didn’t have a weight problem, you’re looking at a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“You’re taking a risk, for sure. But this guy is the real deal when he wants to be. And even when he doesn’t want to be he’s still pretty good.”

6. DAWAND JONES, Ohio State (6-8, 374, 5.36, 2): Biggest man in the draft. “He’s so enormous and I love watching him play,” one scout said. “I was scouting the other guy, Paris Johnson, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Dawand. Some absolutely love him and some think he’s absolutely no good. It’s a strange thing. He does have some character issues.” Started just one of 15 games from 2019-’20 before starting 25 games at RT from 2021-’22. “He has just dominating strength,” a second scout said. “He’s a big guy that actually plays big. His bend for his size is amazing. He’s got great feet. He’s crazy long. His hand use is really good. He’s light on his feet. His punch is ridiculous. He’s really similar to the best Mekhi Becton played in college (at Louisville) but he’s more dominant. You can see the basketball player in him.” Fielded mid-level Division I basketball offers after a top-notch career on the court for Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. “I think he likes basketball more than he likes football,” said a third scout. “I don’t know if he really likes football.” Arms (36 3/8) and hands (11 5/8) were the longest at the combine. His Wonderlic score of 11 was the lowest of the top 12 tackles. “He just wins with his size,” said a fourth scout. “He does stay on his feet for the most part but reaching guys, adjusting, space, slide, all that, he just struggles to do that. How much of that will transfer? Zach Banner was so big and had those limitations, too, and he just kind of bounced around.” Made a terrible post-Day 1 impression at the Senior Bowl and then at pro day. His weight of 374 at the combine didn’t thrill scouts, either. “He was listed at 359 (in the fall),” a fifth scout said. “That (374) scares me. When a guy gains weight before the combine that shows you how much pride he has. Next thing you know he’s going to be 400.”
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Dawand Jones NFL Draft Player Profile: Scouting Report, Stats for Ohio State OT

Ohio State OT Dawand Jones Scouting Report and NFL Draft Outlook including Strengths, Weaknesses, Combine Results and Pro Player Comparison
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SCOUTING Report by Greg Cosell

Background:​

Jones played four seasons at Ohio State after coming out of Indianapolis as a 4-star prospect. He also received Division 1 scholarship offers in basketball. Jones started at RT his final two seasons at Ohio State (26 career starts).

Positives:​

  • Massive man with extraordinary length for OT position; Arm length a positive trait, especially in pass protection.
  • Got out of stance with quickness given size; Initiated contact with heavy hands that at times displaced OL.
  • Pass protection snaps, he showed efficient kick slide in vertical set; Good balance with knee bend and firm base.
  • What consistently stood out in pass protection was his patience; He never looked hurried in his reactions.
  • Balanced movement for big man plus good body control; Outstanding length allowed him to protect the edge.
  • Pass protection snaps in which he fired his hands with velocity and power; Stayed balanced through his punch.
  • Showed excellent awareness and accelerated vision recognizing and reacting to stunts; Tough to beat outside.

Negatives:​

  • Snaps he was top heavy reliant on his long arms rather than bringing his feet with him and staying balanced.
  • At times in his vertical pass set a little stiff in his core, negatively impacting his lateral quickness to seal the arc.
  • There were pass protection reps in which Jones had balance and body control issues at the top of the arc.
  • There will be questions re: lateral quickness to redirect versus quick inside counter moves off initial edge rush.
  • Can his size and arm length consistently compensate for his less than quick feet and at times core stiffness.
  • Snaps in which he looked sluggish coming out of three-point stance; Made him susceptible to off the ball quickness.

Bottom Line:​

Jones will be a fascinating projection to the NFL, with his rare size and length that more often than not compensated for his less-than-ideal athleticism at the RT position. Jones, with his massive size - almost 37-inch arm length and 87-plus wingspan - was extremely difficult for edge pass rushers to beat to the high side, and that limited the rush options for rushers and allowed Jones to control the outside and the inside.

Jones consistently played with good balance and body control, but there were reps in his vertical set in which he did struggle with his balance at the top of the pass rush arc, and that needs to be cleaned up or he will be vulnerable to underneath redirects by NFL-quality rushers. Jones wins a lot of reps with his length and heavy hands, but he has clear lateral mobility and change-of-direction concerns that, at times, result in balance and body control issues.

Overall, Jones is a strong prospect with rare size and length and plus athleticism to win in pass protection and dominate in the run game, but there will be snaps in which his tendency to play over his feet, and the balance and body control issues that result, will cause him to get beat against quality NFL DE and OLB.
 
Sounds like conditioning will be the big issue. Sounds like effort is there on game day.
 
Dawand Jones was the #31 overall PFF prospect in this draft:

Jones is as big a tackle as you'll ever see at 6-foot-8 and 374 pounds with 36 3/8-inch arms. At that size, he is one of the more refined pass protectors in the class. Jones allowed only five pressures on 419 pass-blocking snaps last season.
 
MGMT said:
absurd value. It is my hope Callahan did not learn if this selection whilst in public because I feel like it’s likely he immediately starting wanking it.
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Uh, the one with a track record of doing that is Watson, bud. I'm assuming Callahan was simply happy. Going to be alot of work for this team imo; hundreds of players have eaten themselves out of the league, and his 25 lb weight gain when he should have been getting into the Best Shape of His Life. I mean, maybe this was all a blip and he has a workout motor; Orlando Brown Jr had similar issues if I remember and turned out fine. He has good game tape. But man, I can see why his behavior was such a red flag. Don't need a Perrion Winfrey for the o-line.
 
I do wonder if Jones' addition pushes the Browns to consider Hudson more at OG and/or developing Hudson as a swing player (OG/OT)..
 
Smooth said:
I do wonder if Jones' addition pushes the Browns to consider Hudson more at OG and/or developing Hudson as a swing player (OG/OT)..
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I see James Hudson as a right side OG/OT right now. He has improved in the calendar year and I'm sure Callahan continues to develop him. I didn't think Takitaki would still develop and he showed some huge improvements in zone coverage out of nowhere last season.
 
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