Christian Jones, OT Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Jones was a three-star recruit from Cypress Woods High School in Cypress, Texas in the class of 2018

The offensive tackle class in the 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with talent. Texas’ right tackle, Christian Jones, is one of the biggest risers at his position. He isn’t an elite prospect, but he should compete for a top 100 pick.

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Christian Jones, OT Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior right tackle from Cypress, Texas

Background: Jones was a three-star recruit from Cypress Woods High School in Cypress, Texas in the class of 2018. He was the No. 724 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 740 for On3.com. Jones was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He originally committed to SMU before flipping to Texas. Jones played along the offensive and defensive lines in high school but primarily played on the offensive line as a senior. He was a team captain as a senior and earned First Team All-District 17-6A and Academic All-District honors. Cypress Woods’ offense rushed for 2,129 yards and averaged 236.6 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry in 2017. Jones was an Academic All-District 17-6A honoree in 2016. He picked up 17 tackles as a defensive end as a junior, which was his first year playing football. Jones played soccer growing up and during his first two seasons in high school. He volunteered to help victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Injuries & Off-Field: No game action in 2018

Awards: 2020 Academic Second Team All-Big 12, 2021 Academic First Team All-Big 12, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2022 Academic Second Team All-Big 12

Pros: Still newer to the game of football in life, more than 2,700 offensive snaps in college, starting experience at left and right tackle, excellent size for a tackle, ideal NFL-caliber arm length, build generates plenty of power, room to add mass to lower body, wide base in pass pro, quick hands, ridiculous power in his clubs/swipes, strong upper body and clamp to absorb defenders, outside linebackers struggle to escape his grasp, man among boys when facing Kansas’ defense (2023), hand placement plays a large role in his success, easily removes defenders from play with his jump set, Chris Braswell had no real success against him (2023), reps completely locking up Rondell Bothroyd (2023), Dallas Turner struggled to play through his frame (2023), dropped his anchor on Tim Smith (2023), creates vertical displacement in the run game, collapses the defensive line on down blocks, strength and positioning to seal defenders in the run game, excellent vision on combo blocks, way too powerful for linebackers at the second level

Cons: Age, committed 21 penalties from 2020-2022, inconsistent pad level, bending at the waist in pass pro, gets caught leaning, ducks head into blocks in pass pro, vulnerable to a swim move, would like to see more pop in hands, oversets opening inside rush lanes, defensive ends can pry him open to access B gap, first step is average, will need to gain more depth on first step, feet get heavy and stall at times or limit his agility, needs to refine footwork to hit landmarks consistently, mediocre agility occasionally causes issues, explosive rushers will test him vertically, instances of needing to drop anchor sooner, tries to anchor high in stance, ducks head, lunges, and occasionally whiffs on run blocks, hand placement and body positioning in the run game are less proficient than in pass pro, movement skills don’t appear to be special, lacks the agility to stick with second level defenders

Overview: According to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, Jones has 10 5/8-inch hands, 35 1/8-inch arms, and an 83 3/4-inch wingspan. The massive Texas tackle didn’t start playing football until his junior season in high school. He’s since amassed more than 2,700 offensive snaps in college with significant starting experience at left and right tackle. Jones has NFL-caliber size with a build that generates plenty of power and still has room for mass in its lower half. The All-Big 12 honorable mention maintains a wide base in pass protection. He has quick hands that pack ridiculous power in clubs and swipes. Jones needs to replace his hands faster and show off their pop more often. He has a strong upper body and great grip strength to clamp down and absorb defenders. Outside linebackers, in particular, really struggle to escape Jones’ grasp. The redshirt senior’s hand placement plays a large role in his success, but there’s still room for him to refine this area of his game. His jump set is a weapon that takes defenders out of the play easily. Jones’ list of victims this year includes Kansas’ entire defense (he was just too powerful for them), Chris Braswell, and Rondell Bothroyd. None of them found significant success against Jones and were often dominated in one-on-one reps. Dallas Turner fared better but still struggled with Jones’ size and strength. Jones creates vertical displacement in the run game and blows up the defensive line on down blocks. His strength and body positioning really stand out when he’s sealing running lanes. The Texas native displays excellent vision on combo blocks and is too powerful for second level defenders to handle. However, Jones’s prospect profile is far from perfect. He committed 21 penalties from 2020-2022. The right tackle plays with an inconsistent pad level that contributes to him bending at the waist and leaning on defenders. Jones ducks his head into blocks, which leaves him vulnerable to swim moves. He oversets, opening the B gap for defenders. Jones’ mediocre agility isn’t always enough to recover on these plays. Defensive ends find some success prying Jones open to access the B gap. His first step is average and doesn’t always gain enough depth. His feet get heavy and occasionally stall. Explosive edge rushers will test Jones vertically. There are instances when he needs to drop his anchor sooner and sink lower instead of anchoring high. Jones benefits from Texas’ offense, which limits the number of true vertical pass sets he takes. He ducks his head, lunges, and sometimes whiffs on run blocks. Jones’ hand placement and body positioning in the run game are less impressive than in pass protection. His movement skills in space aren’t special. Jones lacks the agility to stick with second level defenders.

Overall, Jones is a physically impressive tackle who has developed quickly considering when he first began playing the sport, but he still deals with some warts that make it unlikely he steps in as an impact rookie. Jones carries developmental upside and needs to go to a team willing to be patient and work with him on a multi-year plan.

Role & Scheme Fit: Right tackle in an inside zone scheme; OT3 on the roster

Round Projection: Mid Third to Early Fourth

Size: 6'3", 314 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 10-19-23