Rd 3, P71: Velus Jones, WR - Tennessee

[Xee]

[Mikefive]

Interesting analysis...

[otis]

the mock draft i just did gave me a F for this pick.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Slot guy? He always seems to be open, and has good speed. Not afraid to go across the middle.

[crueltyabc]

This feels like a luxury pick for a team that doesn't have the core guys yet

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Just yikes. That analysis makes me really scratch my head. He's 25 years old and has done jack shit in college up until this last year. Grrrrreeeeaaaat....

We took this guy over Raimann.

[Xee]

Slot guy? He always seems to be open, and has good speed. Not afraid to go across the middle.

That's what it sounds like.

[UOK]

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

I can't argue with the criticism being levied on this pick. I think there were some good OL prospects still on the board.

[thunderspirit]

My mother always said, if I can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

[TheWorldBreaker]

Just yikes. That analysis makes me really scratch my head. He's 25 years old and has done jack shit in college up until this last year. Grrrrreeeeaaaat....

We took this guy over Raimann.

Raimann will also be 25 and has only been playing offensive line for two years.

Jones has elite speed, great return ability, and size and physicality to line up both outside and in the slot.

Probably wouldn’t have been my choice but there’s some obvious reasoning behind it.

[otis]

that pick sucks. i hope he can flip quinn for a pick quick and get one decent olineman

[Xee]

Dumb question since I know nothing about college football, but I'm assuming if he was in college for 6 years, even with the extra year for COVID, he was in a graduate program. Are students eligible to play for as long as they're pursuing a degree? Or was there some other kind of eligibility rule he took advantage of?

[TheWorldBreaker]

Dumb question since I know nothing about college football, but I'm assuming if he was in college for 6 years, even with the extra year for COVID, he was in a graduate program. Are students eligible to play for as long as they're pursuing a degree? Or was there some other kind of eligibility rule he took advantage of?

You can normally redshirt a year, usually your freshman or if you get injured and play 5 years. The Covid year gave him 6.

[Xee]

Dumb question since I know nothing about college football, but I'm assuming if he was in college for 6 years, even with the extra year for COVID, he was in a graduate program. Are students eligible to play for as long as they're pursuing a degree? Or was there some other kind of eligibility rule he took advantage of?

You can normally redshirt a year, usually your freshman or if you get injured and play 5 years. The Covid year gave him 6.

Got it, thanks.

[TheWorldBreaker]

[Xee]

Until we get an official presser, here's his pre pro day:

[G08]

I think he's our KR/PR right off the bat. Has speed for days and is thicker/more muscular than I thought he would be. Makes some sense if you look at his contact balance and ability to absorb some hits/break some tackles and take short passes to the house.

4.31 speed looks to be legit on tape, has elite burst.

Is he a slot WR? X? No idea at this point. I do like that we have some legit speed at WR now and I'm curious if the plan is to utilize Cole Kmet in the middle of the field, but I digress.

Don't like that he turns 25 in a couple of weeks.

[TheWorldBreaker]

I think he's our KR/PR right off the bat. Has speed for days and is thicker/more muscular than I thought he would be. Makes some sense if you look at his contact balance and ability to absorb some hits/break some tackles and take short passes to the house.

4.31 speed looks to be legit on tape, has elite burst.

Is he a slot WR? X? No idea at this point. I do like that we have some legit speed at WR now and I'm curious if the plan is to utilize Cole Kmet in the middle of the field, but I digress.

Don't like that he turns 25 in a couple of weeks.

He should be able to play outside and in the slot. His YAC numbers are pretty ridiculous:

[Xee]

Thanks for those stats, @TheWorldBreaker. No wonder I've come across more than a few people comparing him to Deebo.

[The Cooler King]

I think less slot and more joker. Before even seeing people bring up Deebo I watched his highlight film and couldn't decide if he looked more like a WR or a RB. If he can work on technique he's even big enough frame wise to be an outside guy.

Interesting pick. Obvious reach from consensus board, but sounds like scouts really loved him at Senior Bowl.

[mmmc_35]

Deebo was productive in college. He got hurt one year and lost most of a season.

Jones has a good skill set. I'm not a fan of the pick, but atleast hes intriguing. His running style is unique. A lot of guys who have short to moderate stride lengths dont time as fast. They are the guys who play faster then they time. Hes rpms make it look like the video is sped up.

[pus]

I'm giving Poles the benefit of the doubt - I think this guy will exceed some people's expectations.

[AZ_Bearfan]

Best kick returner in the draft. I've heard Cordarrelle Patterson used as his comp. Rage meter only at a 4.

[thunderspirit]

Scouting reports:
SI.com
The Draft Network

https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=21052

After reading these, I don't feel a goddamn bit better about this pick.

UOK EDIT: no bypassing paywalled content

[Wounded Bear]

This feels like a luxury pick for a team that doesn't have the core guys yet

Absolutely. I did not see the draft anything like this.

[karhu]

This feels like a luxury pick for a team that doesn't have the core guys yet

That's it, right there.

If he could run routes, he'd have gone in the top 10. Deandre Hopkins is a better deep threat than Marquise Goodwin, Tavon Austin, Kenny Stills, or Cordarrelle Patterson, all of whom ran sub-4.43 40s at the 2013 combine while Hopkins ran 4.57.

So what problem is he supposed to solve? What vacant role does he fill? Is his speed supposed to occupy our other established speed guy? While Pringle runs all the non-deep routes?

Or is his speed supposed to make him a great slot receiver who gets extra-big cushions and exploits them on slants? How long is that going to work?

Or is he just a gadget player?

Whatever the answer, how is that worth the 71st pick? In an historically trade-crazy draft, what's so special about Jones that we couldn't bear to risk losing him for even a modest trade-down that might have netted us another pick or two?

We've seen this movie. GM falls in love, and there goes the draft.

We'll learn more in time, but right now it looks like Poles did a great job when he was drafting the DBs he certainly promised Eberflus. With a bit more freedom, he tripped over his own feet.

[karhu]

One more thing. If you like Velus Jones with your third, you know he'll be there ahead of time, and that you'll take him. Or you just have an awful sense of valuation.

If your third-rounder is already penciled in, your opportunities for trade-downs are in the second.

I love the guys we drafted there, but if you miss out on Gordon, there's Booth, or a ton of guys a bit later. If you miss out on Brisker there are Cook and Woods and Anderson. You have got to bite one of those bullets if Velus Jones is so goddamned important.

Ahem. When we're a good team, Jones is going to be a fun weapon. I've got nothing against the guy, and he should be a blast to watch. I just wish he was joining a more fully fleshed-out offense.

[Atkins&Rebel]

I don’t like the pick value. But KC was successful because the QB was talented and they ran guys deep a lot to clear out for everyone else. Green Bay is successful because they have a good QB and they also ran guys deep a lot.

Getsy and Poles both come from systems that always sent guys down the field to either make space for your star or take a shot.

Sammy Watkins and MVS respectfully helped hake their offenses better. The run on WRs forc d his hand a bit. I believe this pick was going to be Tyquon Thornton and they had him penciled in for this deep threat role. Jones is the poor man’s substitute they had to settle on because poles only had so much time to work the phones to try and trade down after Thornton picked due to how fast the picks were coming in.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

I'm still not a fan of the pick, and I definitely think it was a reach, but I am sort of understanding the reasoning. He'll be a day one returner and gunner in ST. He'll occasionally see the field on 4 receiver sets, screens and drag routes. Could he turn into the next Deebo Samuel? Sure. But the odds are against him.