Matt Jones IS the best player in the draft, an once-in-a-lifetime athlete

[ro_50]

I think Jones will be gone by the 39th pick. He could be special.

[bendog]

mid second rd at best. nfl channel this weekend had him as a 3rd rd pick, but I think the hype will move him up. Still, using a second rd pick for a guy who may well end up on the PS all year. He's definitely got more upside than anyone I can remember in any draft, but there's no way he could be ready to make the reads a TE/WR has to make in the WC.

[ØrangeÇrush]

Originally Posted by bendog

mid second rd at best. nfl channel this weekend had him as a 3rd rd pick, but I think the hype will move him up. Still, using a second rd pick for a guy who may well end up on the PS all year. He's definitely got more upside than anyone I can remember in any draft, but there's no way he could be ready to make the reads a TE/WR has to make in the WC.

He wouldn't be on the practice squad because any other team could give him a contract. That means he'd be eating a roster spot....If he can beat out Nate Jackson, Triandos Luke than let him on..

[Clockwork Orange]

Joe Williams, of Irv & Joe on 950 The Fan, just said that if it were up to him the Broncos would take Matt Jones with the 25th pick. Joe just loves his speed and his versatility.

Just thought I'd throw that out there for the pro-Matt Jones crowd.

[broncohaven]

Originally Posted by Clockwork Orange

Joe Williams, of Irv & Joe on 950 The Fan, just said that if it were up to him the Broncos would take Matt Jones with the 25th pick. Joe just loves his speed and his versatility.

Just thought I'd throw that out there for the pro-Matt Jones crowd.

I would do the same. This kid will be a weapon that teams simply cannot match up against. If he had ever played WR before the senior bowl he's a top 10 pick, probably top 5.

With how the Broncos have struggled in the red zone, Jones would have more impact than any other player we could draft.

[DBroncos4life]

Im thinking Jones was a 4th round pick before the combine. That doesn't add up to me. Sorry he is talented to death but so was Crouch. Yes Jones is taller then Crouch but the talent was there in both players. If it was up to me I would take Vincent Jackson in the second instead of Jones.

[DBroncos4life]

Originally Posted by broncohaven

I would do the same. This kid will be a weapon that teams simply cannot match up against. If he had ever played WR before the senior bowl he's a top 10 pick, probably top 5.

With how the Broncos have struggled in the red zone, Jones would have more impact than any other player we could draft.

Yes there is a chance that teams can't match up with him in the future but at first it will be easy to stop him when he is on the bench. Some of you guys are not looking at the curve that WR's have. Im talking about the guys that are super stars coming out of college and they still take two or three years to make the impact that you need. I know he is a freak but he isn't a true WR. I want someone that will help this team this year and behond not in a couple of years.

[broncohaven]

Originally Posted by DBroncos4life

Yes there is a chance that teams can't match up with him in the future but at first it will be easy to stop him when he is on the bench. Some of you guys are not looking at the curve that WR's have. Im talking about the guys that are super stars coming out of college and they still take two or three years to make the impact that you need. I know he is a freak but he isn't a true WR. I want someone that will help this team this year and behond not in a couple of years.

There is no curve to run a corner route in the red zone, or a slant, or to catch a ball a three feet out of the reach of any corner in the league.

I don't think anyone is saying that he'll be an every down guy this year, but no rookie WR will ever be in Shanahan's system. With rod around we don't need a starter or a true WR. We need a red zone target that can develop when Rod steps out, and Jones is perfect in that regard. He will contribute this year, and where we most need to improve.

[DBroncos4life]

Originally Posted by broncohaven

There is no curve to run a corner route in the red zone, or a slant, or to catch a ball a three feet out of the reach of any corner in the league.

I don't think anyone is saying that he'll be an every down guy this year, but no rookie WR will ever be in Shanahan's system. With rod around we don't need a starter or a true WR. We need a red zone target that can develop when Rod steps out, and Jones is perfect in that regard. He will contribute this year, and where we most need to improve.

He still is a HUGE project in my mind and isn't worth the risk that comes with a number one pick. Vincent Jackson is almost as tall and is thicker. He might not be as fast but as you pointed out in your arguement Red Zone isn't about speed.

[Ballhawk]

I wanted Porter when he came out as a WR with 1 year exp. He also was a QB/S in College. He seemed to have the same 3 yr development that most WRs have. I think Jones would pick up the position quickly.

[Mediator12]

Originally Posted by bendog

mid second rd at best. nfl channel this weekend had him as a 3rd rd pick, but I think the hype will move him up. Still, using a second rd pick for a guy who may well end up on the PS all year. He's definitely got more upside than anyone I can remember in any draft, but there's no way he could be ready to make the reads a TE/WR has to make in the WC.

Actually, being a QB would help that transition of making reads. The thing he needs most is route refinement. Unfortunately, we still have Watson as WR coach. Talk about the least underdeveloped position on the team and CB and WR scream out.

[broncohaven]

Originally Posted by DBroncos4life

He still is a HUGE project in my mind and isn't worth the risk that comes with a number one pick. Vincent Jackson is almost as tall and is thicker. He might not be as fast but as you pointed out in your arguement Red Zone isn't about speed.

Vincent Jackson is nothing near the athlete that Jones is. I watched Jackson at the combine, and he nearly fell down every time he caught the ball on the run. He couldn't catch the ball and maintain his balance. You want to talk about a project?

If you read the post on rookie WRs you'll begin to understand that any WR taken is a project. That being the case, why wouldn't you take the one that has the potential to change the position? Jones is the best athlete in the draft, BAR NONE. The goal of any franchise is to be able to not have any glaring weaknesses going into the draft so that they have the freedom to take the best available player when your pick comes up, and at #25 there absolutely isn't a better athlete than Jones.

Not only is he a better athlete, but he is more versatile by such a large margin it's absurd. He clearly has the speed and athleticism to play wideout. Oh, and also the hands. He can bring a new dimension to the offense if you have him take the occassional snap at QB. You can line him up at the TE position if you were curious, and there isn't an LB in the league that's going to match his speed. Imagine trying to match up against Rod, Lelie, Watts, and Jones. You can forget about it as a DC.

The possibilities with a player like Jones are absolutely endless. There is no other player, regardless of position, whom you can say that about. If that isn't worth a first round selection, I don't know what is.

[bendog]

Originally Posted by ØrangeÇrush

He wouldn't be on the practice squad because any other team could give him a contract. That means he'd be eating a roster spot....If he can beat out Nate Jackson, Triandos Luke than let him on..

Yeah, I figured that out after I'd posted. He would, however, be a solid guy for ST's, but to get any production from a skill position from this guy in his first year is a stretch. That's why I don't see anyway he moves up higher than mid 2nd rnd.

[ØrangeÇrush]

I think he's getting a lot of hype but we won't see him gone till the 3rd at the earliest IMO unless the eagles take him. They have enough picks that they can toss a day one pick on a project. Because like it or not, that is what he is.
That said, I won't complain if we take him (in the 2nd), unless another DL falls to us that would be good value, but when he doesn't crack the starting lineup immediately the bust birds on this board would be all over him. Just like they were on Foster.

[Arkie]

QB's blazing speed turns heads, raises draft stock
By PAUL DOMOWITCH

It took Matt Jones just 4.37 seconds to go from a second-tier NFL draft prospect to a possible first-round pick.

The standard line from NFL scouts is that predraft workouts are just a part - a very, very small part - of the evaluation process. They insist that a player's draft grade is formed primarily by how he plays with his helmet on from September to January, not by how fast he runs or how high he jumps in February and March.

For the most part, that's true. But every now and then, a guy like Jones comes along whose workout performance dazzles everybody and causes his draft stock to soar like an IBM missile.

The 6-6, 241-pound former University of Arkansas quarterback seemed destined to be a second-day pick in the April 23-24 draft until he stole the show at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in late February. Wowed the scouts with a zoom-zoom-zoom 4.37 40. Followed it with an impressive 39 ½-inch vertical leap and a 10-feet, 9-inch broad jump and catlike change-of-direction skills in the agility drills.

His 40 time was faster than both of the draft's top two wide receivers - Michigan's Braylon Edwards (4.45) and USC's Mike Williams (4.56). His 20-yard clocking of 2.54 seconds was better than all five of the projected first-round wideouts, and the draft's two top-rated running backs - Auburn's Ronnie Brown (2.63) and Carnell Williams (2.61).

His 4.09-second time in the 20-yard shuttle was better than Brown's 4.14, better than Mike Williams' 4.23 and almost as good as Edwards' 4.02. His 6.62-second clocking in the three-cone drill blew away Brown (7.12), Mike Williams (6.95) and Edwards (6.83).

Jones was a 3-year starter at quarterback for Arkansas. Holds the school records for career total offense and total touchdowns. Threw 33 TD passes his last 2 years in Fayetteville. Rushed for more yards than any quarterback in Southeastern Conference history.

But Jones' NFL future isn't at quarterback. If a team plucks him in the first round in 2 weeks, it won't be with the idea of lining him up behind center. At least not on a regular basis.

Because of his unique combination of size, speed and athleticism, teams are looking at Jones as a slash-type offensive weapon who they can line up all over the field. Think Kordell Stewart and Antwaan Randle El, only a whole lot bigger, faster and stronger.

"He surprised a lot of people with his speed,'' said Mike Maccagnan, the coordinator of college scouting for the Houston Texans. "But he's a great athlete who had a lot of long runs in college against good teams. He might play quarterback, wide receiver, H-back or tight end [in the NFL]. What an interesting prospect."

"I've never seen anyone like him," said Mississippi State coach Sylvester Crooms, who was a longtime NFL assistant. "I'd take him [in the draft], and... real high."

Yet will a team have the guts to push the button on a project, albeit one who is 6-6 and can run a 4.37 40, in the first round or even early in the second?

"If you look at the pool of [first-round-worthy] wide receivers and tight ends, there aren't a lot of guys,'' an AFC general manager said. "So why wouldn't he be able to fit in there? You know you're getting an athlete. A big kid. A competitor. All those things. I definitely can see him going in the first round. Maybe to a team with multiple [first-round] picks. Maybe to a team at the bottom of the first round that is good already and doesn't have a specific hole to fill and can take a little bit of a gamble on a guy like him with great potential.''

Two teams have multiple first-round picks - the Cowboys, who own the 11th and 20th selections, and the Chargers, who have the 12th and 28th picks. The Eagles, who live for coverage mismatches, own the next-to-last pick in the first round and the third pick in the second round. Might they find Jones too tempting to overlook?

At the request of NFL teams, Jones practiced and played at wide receiver in the Senior Bowl in January. Caught a touchdown pass. Participated in both quarterback and receiver drills at the scouting combine and in his private workout late last month.

"His speed just jumps out at you,'' an AFC general manager said. "You see this big kid with big white legs. Then, all of a sudden, he's running past people and people can't catch him. He's an intriguing kid. You want to find a place for him.

"Just the preparation for a guy like that... your defensive coordinator is going to have to put in extra time. The kid will be good in the red zone. You'll be able to direct-snap him. Run reverses and options with him. Just having that in your [offensive] bag makes it tough on everybody else. If this was college, you'd recruit him as an athlete and see where he fits best.''

After Jones' impressive performance at the combine, one scout dubbed him "Jim Thorpe.'' Others have taken to calling him "The Freak." His flowing blond locks and California-cool demeanor remind you of the character Sunshine in "Remember the Titans.''

"God has blessed me with the athletic ability to do a lot of things,'' said Jones, who was a starter on the Razorbacks' basketball team his junior year. "I've always done a lot of things, whether it was play basketball, play baseball, run track. I was always playing a different sport, so a different position in the same sport isn't that awkward.''

Jones had just four career receptions at Arkansas and - by his count - lined up as a receiver less than two dozen times. But he has no problem with waving bye-bye to quarterback when he gets to the NFL.

"I just want to play,'' he said. "Some teams will want a quarterback and some teams will want a receiver. Maybe [I become] a receiver and do some things as far as being an emergency quarterback. Who knows what's going to happen? I just want to be able to play at the next level."

His confidence is bolstered by the fact that other former college quarterbacks have made a successful transition to wide receiver in the pros, including the Steelers' Hines Ward and Randle El and the Titans' Drew Bennett, a former UCLA signal-caller who caught 80 passes for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns last year in just his third pro season.

Bennett was an undrafted free agent in '02. Randle El was taken at the end of the second round of the '02 draft. Ward was the 92nd overall pick in the 1998 draft.

"You look at guys like that who are doing well," Jones said. "Drew Bennett didn't even play that much quarterback, to my knowledge, at UCLA, and he's doing great now. It helps me out a lot confidencewise with those guys having such success."

Perhaps the best position for Jones is the one he is most hesitant to play in the NFL: tight end or H-back. Blocking defensive linemen and linebackers isn't something he seems eager to learn.

"I've never done it before,'' he said. "I'd have to have someone totally teach it to me and see how I do.''

Even a team that drafted Jones as a tight end, though, would use him primarily as a flexed-out receiver, where he'd be able to make mincemeat of linebackers, safeties and nickel corners with his size and speed.

"What you do with him is what the Chargers do with Antonio Gates and what the Chiefs do with [Tony] Gonzalez,'' an NFC player personnel boss said. "You flex him out. Maybe whoever drafts him will be able to sell him on the idea that, 'Yeah, [technically] you're a tight end. But in our offense the tight end isn't really a tight end. He's Antonio Gates. You want to catch a hundred balls? Then this is who you are.' ''

Some old-school GMs and coaches would sooner drink a decaf latte than spend a first- or second-round pick on a guy without a specific position, even if the guy is 6-6 and can run like the wind and jump high enough to peek in a second-story window.

"You've got to have a plan for him,'' an NFC personnel man said. "You've got to understand that it's going to take some time for him to develop his receiver-critical skills, such as route-running, catching, reading coverages, those things.

"When the Steelers drafted Kordell, they had a plan for him. They had a plan for Randle El when they took him. You don't just draft him and say, 'Hey, he's going to be one of my five wide receivers.' You've got to say, 'We're going to draft him and he's going to do this for us. We're going to use him in our red-zone package. We're going to use him in motion.' Whatever your plan is.

"Some coaches are a little more creative, a little more flexible, a little more matchup-conscious than others. Those are the coaches that are going to be intrigued by this guy. Somebody like [the Ravens' Brian] Billick or [the Eagles' Andy] Reid or [the Rams' Mike] Martz, who look at a guy with his size and speed and athletic skills and say, 'OK, this is what we're going to do with him. This is how we're going to use him.' ''

[Boogerboots]

Seems like a player with such great versatility, he would surely be snagged by the Patriots if he hasn't been picked by then. If last year is any indication, the Patriots thrive on players who are versatile. I'm guessing that if we don't take him, they will with the last pick of the first round.

If we do pick him, how do you think his chances are at TE?? Sounds like he would be a faster version of Tony Gonzalez and would fit the bill for our red zone woes.

[Arkie]

His chances at TE are good, but why turn the quickest receiver in the draft into a TE just because he's big. Sure, he can fly by the linebackers, but he can out run corners too. Matt will abuse corners with his speed, vertical leap, wing-span, hands, and body position.

[DBroncos4life]

I stand by my statement that Jones is just a taller Crouch.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

Originally Posted by DBroncos4life

I stand by my statement that Jones is just a taller Crouch.

Good... stand by it at the end of the year. I'll stand by my statement that you are at best uninformed....

[DBroncos4life]

Originally Posted by Dr. Broncenstein

Good... stand by it at the end of the year. I'll stand by my statement that you are at best uninformed....

Are you taking bets that he will break the norm of WR's and have a GREAT year?

[DBroncos4life]

Matt Jones lovers why don't you give us non believers some numbers. How many Reps, Yards, and Tds do you guys think he will get.

[Play2win]

Originally Posted by Bosko

His chances at TE are good, but why turn the quickest receiver in the draft into a TE just because he's big. Sure, he can fly by the linebackers, but he can out run corners too. Matt will abuse corners with his speed, vertical leap, wing-span, hands, and body position.

Realy are you more of a Broncos fan or somebody that is more of a fan of himself than he is of the team!!!

[Ratboy]

I think i'm hooked.

Not just because he's a good athelete.. but denver lacked redzone touchdowns last year. Matt Jones would give us the matchup.


Mike Williams or Matt Jones.. Bring em' on!

[broncohaven]

Here's the difference between Matt Jones and Mike Williams. Williams is the shorter, slower, less agile, weaker, less versatile and extremely more expensive version of Matt Jones.

Even if we took Williams he wouldn't start for us. He would be a red zone guy primarily just like Jones would be.

And DB4L,
I can see your point about Crouch other than the fact that Jones is supremely more gifted, and not insane. Jones is the antithesis of "head case", where Crouch was the definition.

[DBroncos4life]

Originally Posted by broncohaven

Here's the difference between Matt Jones and Mike Williams. Williams is the shorter, slower, less agile, weaker, less versatile and extremely more expensive version of Matt Jones.

Even if we took Williams he wouldn't start for us. He would be a red zone guy primarily just like Jones would be.

And DB4L,
I can see your point about Crouch other than the fact that Jones is supremely more gifted, and not insane. Jones is the antithesis of "head case", where Crouch was the definition.

More gifted? Prove it. They are just as fast. If by more gifted you mean taller then that I agree with but thats it. Crouch put up MUCH better numbers in college and hes got a guy striking the pose to prove it. Crouch is a head case now? He's in the same league as Moss, Boston, both Lewis, and every other crazy in the nfl? Please tell me why. He doesn't get depressed then quit football, he quits because there is a drive in him to play QB and I worry that Jones has the samething inside him. Stewart fought tooth and nail to stay a QB when he should have been moved to WR. This whole thing is getting out of hand with Jones. He went from a 4th round pick to the fastest wr, the most "gifted" player in the draft, and whatever else is being said about him. Like I said before give me numbers. I want stats that you Jones lovers think he will get this year, because Im willing to bet its a little less then the NORM for rookie WR's.