Travis

Jones

Jones has been sidelined since suffering a knee sprain in the second preseason game. This full practice puts him on track to make his NFL debut against the Dolphins this week. The third-round rookie will boost an already solid defensive line rotation.

It sounds like an MCL sprain, if we were to offer our best guess. The 76th overall pick back in April’s draft, Jones is expected to fill a rotational interior role up front after the Ravens said goodbye to Brandon Williams and Derek Wolfe in the offseason.

Jones (6’4/325) stood out as a force to be reckoned with as a true freshman, totaling 46 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and a half-sack. UConn’s 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Jones returned to dominant form in 2021, posting career-highs in tackles (48), tackles for a loss (7.5), and sacks (4.5). Per PFF.com, Jones totaled 25 quarterback pressures and had another 25 stops in run defense. Jones added to his hype with a strong week at the Senior Bowl and had another two pressures and one sack in the game. He ran the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash at the Combine (4.92) and was top-five in both the vertical and broad jump. Jones possesses great size for a defensive tackle and disengages from blockers well to get his hands on running backs. He lined up almost exclusively at nose tackle, and will likely continue to do so at the next level.

Jones (6'4/325) was perhaps the only bright spot for UConn football in 2021, as he totaled 48 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks for a Huskies team that went 1-11 on the year. Jones tested off the charts at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.92 40-yard dash while also posting a 28.5-inch vertical. Jones’ 9.40 RAS makes him one of the more athletic DTs to ever grace the NFL Draft. Pelissero writes, “in a year where there just aren’t many clean defensive linemen to consider in the first couple rounds, Jones could go higher than anybody expects.”

Jones (6'4/336) made the most of offseason showcases like the Senior Bowl and it’s safe to say he’s reaping the benefits of it. He followed the Senior Bowl with an equally impressive 2022 NFL Scouting Combine performance, recording a 4.92 40-yard dash and a 28.5-inch vertical. His agility was also very much on display as he tied the top three-cone performance with a 7.33 time. According to Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, Jones is the “most versatile” player among defensive tackles available for the taking in April.

It’s worth noting that this mock came out days before Davante Adams was traded to the Raiders, but Jones has gained steam since the Senior Bowl. After a reportedly dominant Senior Bowl performance, Jone followed things up with a 4.92 40-yard dash and a 28.5-inch vertical. Jones also displayed great agility, tying for the top three-cone performance with a 7.33 time. Green Bay has needs along the defensive line to adjust and two first round picks to use. While receiver may be the top-priority following the trade of Adams, Jones sneaking into the first round isn’t all that farfetched.

Jones (6'4/336) reigned fire down upon the interior linemen of the Senior Bowl, consistently pushing the pocket and simply overwhelming his opponents. He gave BC IOL Zion Johnson, who was named interior lineman of the week, all he could handle and had an eye-popping flash play in the game itself when he bulldozed Dylan Parham 15 yards into the backfield, shoving the Memphis center into Bailey Zappe for a dominant sack. Johnson joins Perrion Winfrey as defensive linemen that RJ Young singled out as having improved their draft stock in Mobile. Despite playing for a morose UConn program that didn’t elect to play in 2020, Jones didn’t transfer and instead used the time off to improving his craft, boosting his PFF defensive grade from 77.8 in 2019 to an exceptional 87.6 in 2021. Jones has vaulted himself into the early Day 2 mix with his standout Senior Bowl performance.

The massive Jones (6'4/336) is a former three-star recruit who was considered the 93rd best offensive guard in the country by 247 Sports. He switched over to the defensive side of the ball once he stepped on campus at UCONN and has thrived since the move recording 86 tackles, 4.0 sacks and a fumble recovery in two seasons for the Huskies. Always a stout run defender, Jones improved his pass-rush grade to 78.9 last season as he continues to improve his overall skill set. He will once again anchor Connecticut’s defensive line in 2020.