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Why the Jets Should Draft UConn’s Travis Jones With the 35th Pick

Travis Jones would be a perfect interior defensive lineman to replace Folorunso Fatukasi, who left this offseason in free agency.

Blake Pace

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As the Jets continue to sift their way through the free agency period, their number of positional needs is starting to dwindle down. With the signings of CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin it’s easy to assume that the tight end position doesn’t need to be addressed in the draft before Day 3, and their upgrades at the offensive line, safety, corner and depth pass-rushers make addressing those positions not as pertinent as one would’ve thought before March 16.

They still have their holes — most notable at receiver, starting edge rusher and linebacker — but the first two could be taken care of through the first 10 picks of the first round. Additionally, the coaching staff believes the lack of pop from the linebacking room in 2021 had more to do with their defensive line’s inability to win up front rather than the linebackers themselves.

With all that said, there’s one problem the Jets have yet to solve in free agency and is something that’s become its most pressing need for one of their second-round picks: someone to stop the run on the interior defensive line.

The Jets were abysmal at stopping the run this past season, allowing the fourth-most yards on the ground (2,351) and the most touchdowns (28) in the league. New York then followed that up by allowing one of their stronger run-defenders on the team, Folorunso Fatukasi, to head to Jacksonville a few weeks back. Not that Fatukasi was an iron curtain in the run game, but the Jets have yet to find a replacement with their only interior defender being a pass-rush specialist in Solomon Thomas.

The draft has several Day 2 options that make sense for New York next season, and, from my eyes, there’s one fit that stands out above the rest. While it was UConn’s Fatukasi who walked out the door in March, it’s fellow Huskie alum Travis Jones that should walk in the door this April.

Who is Travis Jones?

The three-star offensive guard recruit from Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, Connecticut had plenty of Northeast schools to choose from — Rutgers, Boston College and Temple — before landing on his in-state Huskies. Despite playing on an ineffective defense for much of his collegiate career, a team that went 4-32 in his three seasons, it hasn’t stopped Jones’ stock from continuously rising through the draft process.

Measuring at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds at the combine with 34.25-inch arm length, Jones is in the 83rd percentile or better for defensive tackles in all three categories. He also matched that size with impressive speed and agility at the combine, placing in the 88th percentile of defensive tackles in the 40-yard dash (4.92 seconds) and the 80th percentile in his 3-cone drill (7.33 seconds). Funny enough, two of his measurable comps from the combine are former first-round selections by the Jets — 2011’s Muhammad Wilkerson and 2015’s Leonard Williams.

As far as strengths go Jones is brilliant with his hands and is fully aware on how to use his arm length to his advantage, quick to lock out blockers. His weight is well-distributed throughout his body, equipping him with the ability to plant his feet and hold the point with his lower body while controlling the block with his upper body. He also graded out as the best run-pass combo defensive tackle in this class with a run defense grade of 86.8 and a pass-rush grade of 86.1, with no other top potential draftee grading above 82 in both categories.

While his frame plays into a lot of his success, it’s also part of some of his more obvious downsides. His inability to play low gets him uprooted by blockers more than you would like to see, and his explosiveness off the ball is less than desired — highlighted by his 1.76 second 10-yard split at the combine, placing in the 40th percentile among defensive tackles. People will also criticize his endurance and conditioning but, as we’ll talk with his fit in New York, that isn’t something to worry too much about for Jets fans.

The Georgia defensive tackles hold the allure of the first round, but Jones is one of the faster risers in this class after his solid performances at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and NFL Draft Combine. Many of the members in this defensive tackle draft class specify in one area more than another, making Jones one of the more enticing “do-it-all” tackles of this class, and someone that at the very least is going to be an effective run-stopper in early down scenarios.

His Fit with The Jets

Head coach Robert Saleh wants to have one of the deepest defensive line rotations in football and has done a fine job improving that depth this offseason. Jacob Martin will serve as a great speed edge rusher in passing situations, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas will be helpful rushing the quarterback from the interior, and the return of Carl Lawson and eventual draftee of another edge rusher with the fourth pick will have this line massively improved from a season before.

With all these moves considered there remains just one hole left along the line — a run defense specialist on the interior. Quinnen Williams was fine against the run this past year, but he seemed a little overmatched at times playing at the 1-tech position and may be best suited to kick out as a 3-tech and serve as the actual replacement, and upgrade, for Fatukasi. This, in turn, would allow Jones to slide in as the 1-tech of this defense and really add some run-protecting size to this front line.

This would also allow fellow defensive tackles like Sheldon Rankins, Solomon Thomas and Nathan Shepherd to be used in more specialized roles. All three were significantly better rushing the passer this past season than defending the run, so asking them to serve on obvious passing situations will keep them well rested and help the overall depth of this unit.

Joining the Jets would also be a huge positive for Jones and his professional development, as his snap count will never be too high for his endurance issues to really come to light and can help him prioritize those early down scenarios. This is also a defensive coaching staff that has done wonders developing defensive line talent going back to its early days in San Francisco, and hopefully can help Jones get better control over his body and figure out ways to improve his first step.

There are several positions for the Jets to choose from at pick No. 35: they could go linebacker, safety, cornerback or interior offensive line, and deservedly so for each. But for a team that’s meant to win up front, bringing in Jones would serve as the run-stopper they so desperately need and finish the look of the 2022 New York Jets defensive front.

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Blake Pace
BLAKE PACE

Covering the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated, Blake Pace is an Upstate New York native and a James Madison University alumnus. He previously served as the Sports Editor for JMU’s student-run paper The Breeze, and is a former contributor to SB Nation’s Stampede Blue. 

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