RB — Ronald Jones II 7.69
College: USC
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 201 lbs
40-Time: 4.48
Bench Press: 23
3-Cone: N/A
Athleticism
Q.A.B. 8.50 Jones has excellent agility and balance. He has quick feet and has a knack for avoiding defenders in close quarters or in the open field. He is dangerous in open space, as he can gain extra yards while stumbling or regain his balance before going to the ground.
Flexibility 7.50 Jones has natural flexibility. He runs with good pad level through the line of scrimmage and lowers his shoulder before contact in the second and third levels of the defense.
C.O.D. 9.00 Jones has impeccable cutting ability. He displays exceptional lateral burst and has great feel for cutback lanes. He has the ability to cut back and reverse fields when he sees an opening in the defense.
Explosion 9.00 Jones is one of the most explosive playmakers in the draft.. He has tremendous burst and utilizes an aggressive playstyle when attacking the line of scrimmage.
Top End Speed 9.00 Jones displays elite breakaway speed with home-run potential each time he touches the ball. He easily gets to the perimeter on outside runs and can turn up field with his excellent lateral quickness and burst.
With Ball in Hands
Vision/Instincts 8.00 He has a good feel for cutback lanes, and can easily find the whole at the line of scrimmage. He loves to cut and change fields when he sees a lane to cut into.
Cutting Ability 8.50 His cutting ability is exceptional. He has excellent lateral quickness, and can change direction multiple times in any given play. He can occasionally dance to much or cut one to many times and run into a defender.
Elusiveness 8.50 Jones is very elusive. He can avoid defenders in tight quarters and is dangerous in the open field. He has the ability to make would be tacklers miss utilizing his quick feet and agility.
Yards After Contact 6.50 Jones is a powerful runner. He has tackle-breaking power. Jones uses his lower leg drive to break through tackles and utilizes a violent stiff arm in the second and third levels. He can get tripped up by arm or shoelace tackles when attempting to avoid defenders.
Ball Security 8.50 Jones has great ball protection, as he rarely lets the ball hit the ground. He has 623 total career touches and has only fumbled twice. He did not commit a fumble in 275 touches over the course of this past season.
Receiving
Hands 7.50 Throughout his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Jones would fight the ball; however, his ball skills have dramatically improved over the course of this season. He can catch the ball away from his body and displayed soft hands this past year.
Route Running 7.50 Jones a good route runner capable of running multiple sets in the route tree.
Ability In Space 8.00 Jones is a very athletic player. He is capable of gaining space and avoiding tackles in the open field and after the catch. He is dangerous each time he touches the ball. Jones is especially dangerous in the screen game.
Ability to Separate 8.00 He has excellent short area quickness and burst, which helps him gain separation from the defender.
Blocking
Lead Blocking 5.00 He doesn’t do much lead blocking, but Jones is very tentative and is not the ideal lead blocker. He gives effort when blocking, but I wouldn’t think he is the most effective lead blocker.
Blocking In Space 5.50 Jones is a willing blocker, but is tentative and can be pushed back on his heels. He can overextend at times too.
Pass Blocking 6.50 He is aware in Pass pro, and often knows who to block. He can be pushed around and doesn’t always get the best leverage, but he is a willing blocker and can read the blitz and rushers.
Situational Awareness 7.00 He knows who to block and where to be on the field, but he can get caught on his heels and get pushed around in some situations.
Competitiveness
Toughness 7.50 Jones is a very tough player. He played through an ankle sprain and a thigh contusion throughout this season. He missed one game this year due to those injuries. His size is concerning weighing only 200 pounds, he may need to gain weight to handle a heavy workload at the next level.
Production 9.00 Jones has had an extremely successful career at USC. He took over the lead back role this season and and developed into a dynamic three down back. He improved his pass blocking and catching ability this season and became one of the top RB prospects to enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
Consistency/Motor 8.00 Jones is very consistent. He plays to the whistle on each play. He fights for yards, and does everything in his power to stay on his feet. He gives all of his effort on every play he is a part of.
Team Player 8.00 Jones took over the leadership role this season. He became a mentor for younger players on the team and did everything he was asked to do in USC’s offense.
Intelligence
Instincts 7.00 Jones has great instincts. He can find the whole at the line of scrimmage, and he can sense cut-back lanes when they develop. He can sense the blitz and often knows who to pick up during the rush.
Learn/Retain 7.50 Jones is a very smart player. He is one of the leaders of USC’s offense and mentored younger players in the system. He will need to adapt to a pro-style offense at the next level.
Versatility 8.50 Jones is very versatile. He is a great runner with strength to run through the line, and he possesses excellent lateral quickness and speed to beat defenders to the edge. He has drastically improved in pass protection and as a receiver out of the backfield. He is dangerous when running a screen. Jones is a big-play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball.
Strengths
Ronald Jones is one of the most explosive players in this draft class. He has excellent balance and agility. He has quick feet and can avoid defenders in close quarters or in the open field. He is dangerous in open space as he can regain his balance after contact or avoid the contact completely. He is very elusive and has excellent short area and lateral burst. He is very aggressive on inside runs and utilizes a jump cut to avoid defenders. He displays elite breakaway speed with home run potential each time he touches the ball. He has great ball security. In 623 career touches he has only fumbled twice, and he did not commit a fumble throughout this past season. He is extremely versatile with the ability to catch the ball smoothly and is aware in pass protection.
Weaknesses
Jones is an extremely athletic player. He has natural flexibility, but he doesn’t always run with great pad level. He is a powerful runner due to his leg drive but he could gain extra yards upon contact if he were to lower his shoulder and initiate contact. Jones is a willing blocker, but he is tentative, and can be pushed back on his heels or in pass protection. He can get caught overextending when blocking in open space too. Jones is a very elusive back, but his size is concerning. Weighing only 200 pounds, he may need to gain weight in order to handle a heavy workload at the next level.
Big Picture
Jones is an extremely elusive back with great agility, balance and quickness. He can sense cut back lanes and utilizes his short area and lateral burst to explode through small openings inside and out. He can avoid defenders in tight quarters and in the open field, but he can occasionally struggle to lower his shoulder and initiate contact. Jones is extremely dangerous in space. He utilizes a jump cut to avoid defenders and create missed tackles. He is extremely aggressive on inside runs, and can quickly burst through small openings. He displays elite speed and is a home-run threat each time he touches the ball. Jones is extremely versatile. He became a more consistent ball catcher this season, as he stopped fighting the ball. He is aware in pass protection, but he is very tentative and gets pushed onto his heels at times. He runs crisp routes, and is dangerous in the screen game. Jones rarely puts the ball on the ground. He has great ball protection, as he did not commit a fumble once in 275 touches this past season. Jones play style is reminiscent of Jamaal Charles. He is a very elusive and explosive back that has the talent and versatility to play in all phases of the game. He will be an impact player at the next level.
