Patrick Jones II: The forgotten about EDGE in the 2021 NFL Draft

This year’s pass rushing class is not particularly ripe with high-end talent that will draw teams into high selections, but it is full of guys with tons of potential. Pitt pass rusher Patrick Jones II is just that and is often overlooked in a fairly deep (but not nuanced) 2021 NFL Draft edge class.

Most pass rushers in this year’s draft class carry a lot of intrigue due to their potential and just how much of an impact they could bring with further development. However, lost in all this is the nuance that Jones already has and brings to the table.

He is a three-year starter for the Pitt Panthers, having big seasons in both his junior and senior years. During his career, he racked up 21.5 sacks and 32 tackles for a loss.

Strengths

Jones is one of the more nuanced pass rushers in this year’s class. He has a finite understanding of where to place his hands and how to keep his frame clean consistently through reps. He is quick to read and react to what linemen give him and shows a good bit of pass rush moves in his arsenal.

His combination of explosiveness, athleticism, and strength make him highly effective working into gaps or up the arc and into the backfield. Jones is dynamic in the lower half and shows good bend when he can establish himself with speed up the arc. He is a very disruptive player who understands how to counter linemen and is quick to ID runners. His effectiveness in both the run and pass game comes due to his processing skills and strength/speed combo. He’s also extremely quick working out of his stance and understands how to test linemans’ pass sets early by working up the arc quickly.

Weaknesses

The biggest thing holding him back currently is a lack of versatility in his alignments leading to struggles projecting him to multiple roles at the next level. With little to no experience working out of a two-point stance, working in space, or on the interior, Jones looks to be solely a 4-3 defensive end. This is fine and he could thrive as a starting outside DE, but that does limit his versatility within schemes a bit and also what teams he would fit with.

Jones also is a bit limited with his length, which can cause problems working up the arc and shedding blocks at times. While his hand use is active and he shows some good variety in the moves he uses, he will need to develop more nuance in the placement and timing of his punches. Lastly, Jones currently has a slim frame and would benefit greatly from adding more mass and potentially strength to it to be more effective.

Patrick Jones II Draft Stock

Jones is not a highly sought-after prospect in this year’s class and his draft stock varies depending on who you ask. Overall, he looks to be a day two prospect who will likely be drafted behind a lot of the raw, high potential guys despite the nuance he can bring to a team. Jones is a well-rounded prospect but does not bring many elite traits to the table, which has furthermore limits his draft stock.

He will likely be a day two draft pick but could fill a starting-caliber role for defense early in his career and turn into a productive 8-10 sack a year player, which is very valuable for almost every team. Patrick Jones II may not provide unreal upside like some of the other edges in this year’s class but he is a high-floor prospect and is often overlooked because of this.