NFL Draft Profile: Caleb Jones, Offensive Tackle, Indiana Hoosiers

NFL draft profile scouting report for Indiana Tackle, Caleb Jones

Author:
The NFL Draft Bible
Publish date:
Jan 28, 2022 10:31 AM EST

In this story:

#77
Pos: OT
Ht: 6087v
Wt: 369v
Hand: 0948v
Arm: 3668v
Wing: 8738v
DOB: _/_/_
Eligibility: 2022
Indianapolis, IN
Lawrence North High School

Caleb Jones Indiana University Hoosiers

One Liner:

Caleb Jones possesses the ideal physical profile at the offensive tackle position. Lacks ideal athleticism and playing with leverage.

Pros:

Caleb Jones is an absolute behemoth coming in at 6’8” and weighing 362 pounds. He also possesses ideal length at the position. Jones displays a good understanding in pass protection of how to use his length and size. Teams will fall in love with his physical profile and look to develop. Displays a good base and keeps his feet underneath his body at all times in pass protection and while run blocking. He is patient in pass pro and waits for edge defenders to show their hands before he attacks. Hands are refined and shows plus placement and timing in pass pro. Good processing versus twists and stunts having active eyes and staying patient. Good hand and grip strength which allows him to sustain blocks when he gets them. Creates movements run blocking when leverage and technique is good. He has experience at left and right tackle.

Cons:

Poor footwork and lack of explosiveness limit his upside at the next level. He struggles versus edge rushers with speed and burst and plays with too high of pad level. Lacks the bend, balance and burst to be a high end tackle. No real recovery due to lack of core strength and hip flexibility. Lacks knowledge of aiming points when blocking in a zone and gap run concept. Needs work on weight transfer when transitioning to anchor. Lacks nuance with resetting hands and attacking weaknesses of opponents. Lack of consistent leverage, technique and taking good angles makes him a liability as a run blocker. For his size I would like to see a nastier player but doesn’t destroy smaller defenders.

Summary:

Caleb Jones projects to be a developmental prospect that will likely be a practice squad player early on. He wins with his size, length, and processing in pass protection. He lacks strong athletic ability, core strength, and balance that you look for in the position. Lack of consistent footwork and leverage also get him into trouble.

Background:

Caleb Jones played offensive lineman at Lawrence North High School under coach Patrick Mallory. He was an Indiana Football Coaches Association top 50 players and all state as a Junior and Senior. He played basketball for 2 years and was in track and field for 3 years. His sister played basketball at North Dakota State University. He redshirted in 2017 and had a week where he was scout team player of the week. Played in 11 games at both tackle positions in 2018. He started 13 games in 2019 where he played 12 at right tackle and the other at left tackle. He was also honorable mention all big ten. In 2020 he had 4 starts at left tackle and one at right tackle in the 5 games he played. He started all 10 games in 2021 starting the season opener at left tackle and the rest at right tackle.