Draft 2021 – Pick #2: Ernest Jones, ILB, South Carolina

Two-down linebackers with limited speed and below-average athleticism aren’t exactly in vogue these days, but Jones has the field IQ and interior toughness to warrant consideration. He’s a blue-collar linebacker capable of handling the physical duties required of his position, but he will always have limitations in pursuit speed and coverage talent. He has a good feel for diagnosing blocking schemes and finding runners between the tackles, so a role as a backup inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense might be his best fit early on in his career.

• Brings a banger’s mentality to the field.
• Good football IQ.
• Stacks up tackles and is always near the football.
• Plays with consistent pad level throughout the rep.
• Reads keys and feels the blocking scheme to find the runner.
• Takes diagonal steps downhill to squeeze B-gaps on combo blocks.
• Fits up into his run gaps and will take on lead blocks with pop.
• Meets angle blocks with stiff hands to stay clean.
• Rarely overly eager in biting on misdirection.
• Consistent body striker with wrap-up finish as tackler.

• Below-average athlete by NFL standards.
• Operates with some stiffness in lateral scrapes.
• No burst gear to run down backs headed for the edge.
• Needs consistent positioning to leverage gap against guards.
• Doesn’t play with gap-shooting burst for big plays.
• Average balance and agility fighting through blocks.
• Gets too far downhill and can’t chase bounce-outs.
• Labored change of direction will take him off the field on passing downs.