Dawand Jones, OT Ohio State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Jones was a three-star recruit from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Ind. in the class of 2019

The largest prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, Ohio State right tackle Dawand Jones is an unmovable mountain. Defenders can’t rush through him, and his long, powerful arms are difficult to avoid. Jones could easily go in the first round this year.

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Dawand Jones, OT Ohio State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior right tackle from Indianapolis, Ind.

Background: Jones was a three-star recruit from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Ind. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,043 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 719 for On3.com. Jones was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. He won a 6A State Championship as a freshman at Ben Davis. He was a 6A All-State selection as a junior and an Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 Team selection as a senior. Jones also played basketball. Per MaxPreps, he averaged 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a junior. Ohio State’s program website credits Jones with averaging 17 points and nine rebounds per game while receiving several DI scholarship offers.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed Indiana game (2022) with an injury

Awards: 2021 Second-Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2021 Third-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 Second-Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Third-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 Second-Team All-American

Pros: Some experience at left tackle, historic arm length and wingspan, massive hands, enough foot speed to carry rushers up the arc, like trying to move a brick house, unbreakable anchor, powerful extensions to send linemen flying, hands pack knockback power, uses snatch trap technique, attacks and nullifies the defender’s hands, excels at snatching the defender’s hands, arm length to engulf rushers trying to operate in half-man, locks down defensive linemen with his clamp, high volume of plays finishing defenders to the ground in pass pro, core, upper body, and clamp strength to manipulate defenders, leg drive deposits defenders downfield in the run game, collapses the defensive line

Cons: Eight penalties committed in 2021 and 2022, lacks high level agility and reactionary quickness, struggles to redirect and mirror defenders, might be too big, surrenders natural leverage, footwork is heavy and slow, feet get stuck in the ground, explosive edge rushers will stress him vertically, lower and upper body aren’t always synched, becomes top heavy and unbalanced at times, vulnerable to spin move, got away with allowing defenders to strike his chest because of his size, hands get too high and will draw flags, hand replacement is slow

Overview: Jones took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6082 and weighs 374 lbs. He has 11 5/8-inch hands, 36 3/8-inch arms, and an 87 7/8-inch wingspan. Jones has some experience playing left tackle, but the vast majority of his snaps come at right tackle. The senior has a historically impressive wingspan and arm length and massive hands. He has enough foot speed to carry pass rushers up their arcs. Jones is thick throughout his frame. Pass rushers would have better luck trying to bull rush a brick house. Defenders can’t play through Jones’ frame because of his anchor and density. The All-American’s powerful hands and arm extensions send defenders sliding across the turf. His hands pack knockback power. There isn’t a better lineman in the draft at attacking and snatching the defender’s hands. Jones deploys a lethal snatch trap technique. His arm length allows him to engulf rushers trying to operate in half-man. Jones throws defenders in prison with his vice-like clamp. He has a mean streak and finishes defenders to the ground on a surprisingly high number of plays in pass protection. Jones has the core, upper body, and clamp strength to manipulate defenders. His leg drive digs out defenders and deposits them far downfield. The Indiana native easily collapses the defensive line. Jones’ size comes with some drawbacks. He lacks the agility and reactionary quickness to redirect and mirror fluid defenders. Jones might want to lose some weight to improve his agility. His massive frame surrenders natural leverage. Jones’ feet are heavy and slow, often getting stuck in the ground. Explosive edge rushers will stress him vertically. The former three-star recruit’s lower and upper body aren’t always synched. He becomes top heavy and unbalanced, which makes him vulnerable to spin moves. He got away with allowing defenders into his chest in college because of his size and power advantage. Jones’ hands come in high, and his hand replacement is slow. The mammoth right tackle committed eight penalties in 2021 and 2022.

Overall, Jones is a massive right tackle with unreal arm length, anchoring skills, and power. His size creates some physical limitations and makes him a scheme-specific projection at the next level. However, Jones far exceeds expectations for a player his size, especially with his ability to defuse pass rush moves by eliminating the defender’s hands.

Role & Scheme Fit: Right tackle in a power or gap scheme

Round Projection: Mid First to Early Second

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-21-23