Cleveland Browns: 3 targets to trade up for in 2022 NFL Draft
Cleveland Browns Draft: Prospect No. 3 — Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
When it comes to the NFL draft, everyone wants their team to go out and make a splash pick and there are plenty of players who would fit the bill when it comes to hype. However, Connecticut’s Travis Jones is not one of the sexy names in the upcoming draft. In fact, Jones is the meat and potatoes of draft picks.
Even in Jones’ own positional group, Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis is garnering all of the hype when it comes to the interior defensive linemen. The infatuation with Davis is due to his immense size and how well he tested at the combine, but Jones’ testing numbers also land him in rarified air with a R.A.S. score of 9.39.
When you step back and look at the big picture, Jones is easily the most well-rounded defensive tackle in this year’s draft class, and has more to offer NFL teams than Davis does.
Jones is a true three-down defender that checks all of the boxes. He has the size (6-foot-4, 325-pounds) to occupy space and blockers, and the physicality to be a true one technique that can play the run as well as the pass. His violent hands allow him to disengage from blockers and Jones has the short burst closing speed to finish the job on quarterbacks and ball carriers.
In a game that ultimately comes down to numbers, Jones can change the equation for a defense. Centers will have their hands full with Jones and will require assistance from their guards in the run game, allowing linebackers to stay clean and make plays. In the passing game, Jones is a pocket collapser that will deposit centers and guards into the laps of quarterbacks.
As a pass rusher, Jones is a bit one-note and needs to work on developing a couple of secondary pass rush moves. But with all of the tools that he already has in his arsenal, Jones is a day one out-of-the-box starter for a vast majority of NFL defenses. For the Browns, defensive tackle is currently the biggest position of need, and selecting Jones would alleviate a lot of concerns for the defensive line.
Next. Cleveland Browns mock draft: Deepening the defense first. dark
Once thought to be in play for the Browns at pick 44, it is becoming more and more evident that if Cleveland wants to land Jones, they will need to be willing to trade up to make it happen.