Sai'vion Jones, LSU: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Jones was a four-star recruit from St. James High School in Vacherie, La. in the class of 2021
LSU’s Sai'vion Jones won’t go ahead of teammates Bradyn Swinson and Zy Alexander in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Senior Bowl standout offers a good physical profile for a developmental Day 3 selection. He’ll reduce inside more often at the NFL level than he did in college.
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Sai'vion Jones, Edge LSU: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior defensive end from Vacherie, La.
Background: Jones was a four-star recruit from St. James High School in Vacherie, La. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 157 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 103 for Rivals, and No. 111 for On3.com. Jones was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, he totaled 75 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and ten sacks on his way to winning the 3A Outstanding Defensive Player award from the Baton Rouge Advocate, as well as earning 3A MVP and First Team All-State honors. Jones produced 103 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and 13 sacks as a junior and led St. James to an undefeated 15-0 season and the 3A State Championship. He was the class 3A MVP. Jones was also an All-District basketball player and competed in shot put, discus, javelin, and high jump.
Injuries & Off-Field: Born with a breathing disorder that he outgrew
Awards: N/A
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units, intriguing frame, arm length checks the box, flashes of explosiveness, some short-area burst to cross the lineman’s face, rapid acceleration off the line, uses length to pry up the tackle’s pad level, active hands, powerful chop, two-handed swipe, spin move, spin counter off a long-arm, pull-swim, swim-rip, swim move, transitions a long-arm into a rip, rip move, inside club-swim, counters into B-gap when the tackle oversets, spins back into the action, length helps to stack and shed blocks in run game, uses long-arm to pry up tackle’s pad level and anchor vs. the run, upper body power to easily discard tight end blocks, separates from run blocks with good timing, solid anchor to set a good edge
Cons: Inconsistent burst off the line, mediocre first step, lacks clear pass rush plan on some reps, underdeveloped counters, can’t revive pass rush once it stalls, no answer when out-reached by the offensive tackle, too many instantly stalemated rushes, doesn’t maximize arm length on bull rush, doesn’t post consistent wins with power, hand usage is unrefined, lacks bend to turn the corner, offers nothing vs. chips, struggles to disengage when linemen get into his frame, a step too slow to make some run stops, dives and slides off tackle attempts
Overview: Jones took snaps in two and three-point stances for LSU as a 5-tech, 4-tech, and 4i, with the vast majority of those reps coming lined up wide of the offensive tackle. He filled a key special teams role during his four seasons, contributing more than 600 snaps across five separate units. His frame is intriguing and seems to possess untapped physical potential. Perhaps an NFL coaching staff will unlock a more consistent power element to his game. Jones’ 33 1/2" arms meet the league’s requirements, and there’s room on his frame to stack or shed mass depending on his preferred role. The senior displays flashes of explosiveness off the line and rapidly accelerates to push offensive linemen vertically. He lacks impressive long speed but possesses the short-area burst to work across the offensive lineman’s face. This trait popped several times during Senior Bowl week, especially when Jones reduced inside and faced guards. Unfortunately, he suffers from an inconsistent first step that leads to some mediocre reps. Jones uses his quality arm length and active hands to pry up the offensive tackle’s pad level. He delivers powerful chops and two-handed swipes while also accessing spins, long-arms, pull-swims, swim-rips, and inside club-swims. Jones attaches a spin counter to his long-arm and transitions his long-arm into a rip. He attacks the B-gap against oversetting linemen. An NFL team might lean into this tendency to attack inside and reduce Jones into more of a 4-3 base end role considering his lack of bend to win around the outside. The Louisiana native knows a decent number of rush moves but often approaches plays with no clear pass rush plan. His counters and hand usage are underdeveloped and don’t revive his rush plan once it stalls. He finds himself stalemated too often, especially when out-reached by the offensive tackle. Jones fails to maximize his arm length during his bull rushes and doesn’t post consistent wins with power. As a run defender, Jones uses his length to stack and shed blockers. His long-arm pries up the tackle’s pad level and gives him the leverage advantage to anchor at the point of attack. Tight ends stand no chance against Jones. The former four-star recruit displays a solid anchor and sets the edge. He separates from run blocks with impressive timing but struggles to disengage when linemen get into his frame. His lack of speed leads to him trailing playmakers and missing diving tackle attempts.
Overall, Jones is a raw athlete with traits to build around as a developmental mid-Day 3 selection. He possesses the burst and length to create mismatches against guards but lacks the bend to provide a consistent presence off the edge. Jones needs to continue refining his rush plan and counters while finding a long-term role.
Role & Scheme Fit: 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 defensive end
Round Grade: Late Fifth to Early Sixth Round
Size: 6'5 1/8", 289 lbs. (Senior Bowl)
Submitted: 11-28-24
Updated: 02-10-25