Football: Travis Jones Climbs Up NFL Draft Boards
There might not have been a player that raised their draft stock higher at the Senior Bowl than UConn Huskies defensive tackle Travis Jones. He was dominant in the middle of the field all week in Mobile, continuously outmatching his opponents. Jones was able to win with strength, athleticism, leverage, and pure determination. Zack Patraw of The Draft Bible did an NFL mock draft based on Senior Bowl players and he had Jones in the first round to the Kansas City Chiefs. Here is what he had to say on Travis Jones’ game:
“Travis Jones, a defensive lineman capable of playing 0- through 3-tech in the league. The New Haven native has excellent play strength and above-average movement skills, regularly dominating one-on-one situations. When he lands his punches early, the Huskies’ star throws blockers around while flashing counters, hand fighting and a speed profile." To read the entire mock draft, check it out here.
If you missed Jones at the Senior Bowl, let’s get up to speed with some quick highlights from the game itself. First, what Jones does best is breaks through the offensive line and gets into the backfield for the tackle for a loss:
DL dominating early on just as it did during the practices. This time it’s UCONN’s Travis Jones stack and shedding UGA’s Jamaree Salyer to hit the RB in the backfield. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/OCpDJxVmBi
— Tyler Wise (@TriggeredWise) February 5, 2022
In this clip, you see what Jones was doing all Senior Bowl. He was bullying opposing linemen all week. His initial punch, leverage in his bull rush, and leg drive were keeping linemen off balance:
Travis Jones drives his man straight back for the sack.
— College Football Network (@CFN365) February 5, 2022
The @UConnFootball star was doing this *all week* at the @seniorbowl.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE
https://t.co/on3WgLIlLv
What has this done for NFL general managers? It has freed up options for teams who need an interior presence on their defensive line. No longer do they need to reach in the first round to draft their guy. Jones will likely land in the second or third round. This allows teams to load up on other positions while still finding the interior lineman they need. Here are some teams that could benefit from this.
In the latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft, Zack Patraw of the NFL Draft Bible did an All-Senior Bowl mock draft, where Travis Jones was selected in the first round.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers need to find a gap-filling run stuffer is apparent. Aside from Jerry Tillery, the team is barren in the middle of their defense. And Tillery is not an elite run defender. The Chargers could easily try and grab one of the Georgia Bulldogs interior linemen, Jordan Davis or Devonte Wyatt, in the first round, but it would best suit them to wait and grab Jones. This opens the door to possibly drafting a stud wide receiver like Drake London in the first round to replace the possible departure of Mike Williams. In reality, Williams has been very inconsistent.
Las Vegas Raiders
Interior defensive line is a huge hole in the Raiders defense. The re-emergence of Denzel Perryman made this obvious by the spike in his tackle numbers. Running backs were able to exploit the interior of the defense and do it at will. The Raiders are another team that is in dire need of wide receiver help. There are some incredibly talented wide receivers that are in first-round consideration. If the Raiders were smart, they would take the best available wideout in the first round and shoot for Jones in the next round or two.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers traded away their first-round pick to land Trey Lance in the 2021 draft. They are also a team that is lacking in the interior of the defense. Javon Kinlaw will be coming off an injury and the rest of the group is subpar unless Arik Armstead is included as an interior lineman. The 49ers do own two second-round choices and a third-round selection. If Jones drops to the third, the 49ers could grab some secondary help in the first two rounds and still come out with an impact interior lineman.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have not had an interior pass-rushing presence in what seems like an eternity. Although grabbing one in the first round seems like an excellent idea, they have glaring holes that they need to fill on defense, mainly in the secondary. After Jones blew up at Senior Bowl, the Cowboys should feel very comfortable about landing corner help in the first two rounds while potentially landing Jones in the third.
In summary, Jones made a great name for himself at the Senior Bowl. His potential impact on the draft could affect the decision-making by some general managers. It may also force others to alter their plans and miss on their guy. Finding an interior defensive lineman with Jones’s potential in the second or third round is rare, but here we are. Jones did not have the spotlight as much as some guys from the SEC, though he has proven he deserves to be in the same tier. It will be very interesting to see how Jones’s presence will have an impact on NFL draft boards.
