Football: Travis Jones Shows Out at Combine
There has been growing hype about Travis Jones since he showed sheer dominance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl last month. He was not on many radar screens, mainly because of the lackluster season that the Huskies had in 2021. What people did know, or thought they knew, was that he was the best player on a bad defense. That could not be any further from the truth. He is simply a great player no matter what defense he plays. Jones received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine and did not disappoint.
If you watched or paid attention to the Combine, there were some outlandish times in the 40-yard dash. A pair of Georgia interior linemen, Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis, ran sub-4.80 40 times. Davis was the most eye-opening, running a 4.78 341-pounds. That captured the most attention of the group, though Jones definitely left his mark. Checking in at 325 pounds, he ran a 4.92, the fourth-best time of any interior defensive lineman. Watch a video of how quick the big man can move:
How do these big guys move so quick?!@UConnFootball DL @bigtrav76 with a 4.9u on the first run.
— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2022
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/o1L8NMzuZX
It was not only Jones’s speed that was on display. The big man showed fantastic agility. Here he is doing on-field drills, showing great lateral agility:
Travis Jones moves like a linebacker. https://t.co/3UzPrSFqTA
— Keagan Stiefel (@KeaganStiefel) March 5, 2022
Jones tied for the best three-cone drill of any interior defensive lineman at 7.33 seconds. However, his athletic display did not end there. Jones finished with the fifth-best broad jump and the third-best 20-yard shuttle. His overall athletic scoring was incredibly impressive.
Travis Jones, as many expected, put up some stupid good numbers across the board.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2022
Athletic big men for the win! pic.twitter.com/a9JfvnuoC7
Jones has been one of the top rising draft prospects since bowl season started. Robert Gregson of the Draft Bible broke down his top risers from the Combine, which included Jones: see it here. Many thought he was only a gap-filling nose tackle, but he has proven to be much more. His ability to get into the backfield and be more of a 2-tech pass rusher was on display during one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl. The Combine also proved that he has the athleticism to also play 3-tech. His ability to move across the interior of the defensive line should make Jones a very popular name on draft day. He has likely cemented himself into the second round of the draft.
