NFL Draft Expert Labels Dawand Jones First-Round Talent
The Ohio State Buckeye faithful knew they had something special upfront on the offensive line in 2022. One of the nation's best offensive lines allowed just 12 sacks, thanks to a great collective unit that was made up of great talents. Two of those great talents are starting offensive tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones.
It seems like from the day that he declared that Johnson was a consensus first-round pick for this April's NFL Draft. After all, the starting left tackle put together an incredible season as a Buckeye, allowing just two sacks and 14 pressures protecting the blindside of C.J. Stroud. But the path to the Draft for Jones hasn't garnered the unanimous declarations like Johnson.
Rather it took an impressive performance at the Reeses' Senior Bowl for many to start realizing what the Buckeyes had at right tackle in Jones. Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, certainly knows what Jones brings to the table for NFL teams. Nagy compared the Buckeye to Orlando Brown Jr., the starting left tackle for the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs.
With 7-foot-5 reach & light feet like this, how are rushers supposed to get around Ohio State’s Dawand Jones," Nagy asked. "We’ve had numerous NFL scouts tell us he’s a better version of Chiefs 4x Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. (and we agree). Sounds like 1st rounder."
Jones definitely brings the size that Brown did coming out of Oklahoma; at 6-foot-8, 359 pounds, the Buckeye set a Senior Bowl with his 89-inch wingspan. But with size comes questions about movement and speed.
Well, as shown in the clip on Twitter by Nagy, it seems like Jones is answering any concerns about his ability to keep up with the NFL's smaller, twitcher edge rushers.
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