Christian Jones: A better tackle than athlete

Hogs Haven takes a look at 2024 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders

Player, Position: Christian Jones, OT
School: Texas | Conference: Big 12
College Experience: Redshirt Senior | Age: 23
Height | Weight | Arms: 6’5” | 305 lbs | 34.5“
Projected Draft Status: Rounds 3-5

Honors: Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (two years), Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll 7 times, Senior Bowl invitee

Player Overview

Jones was a soccer player who did not play football until his junior year of high school. His college coaches brought him along slowly, and he essentially redshirted for his first two years. He has been a starter for the three years since then, mostly at right tackle, but with one year at left tackle. He gained national attention as a key blocker for Bijan Robinson two years ago.

In many ways, Jones is the opposite of a whole set of huge, raw, and extremely athletic OTs such as Amarius Mims, Tyler Guyton, and Kingsley Suamataia who will probably be drafted before him. Jones has extensive experience, he earned his starts through tenacity and hard work rather than by virtue of his athletic gifts. He has avoided serious injury, and he is smaller than average for an OT. Although he has some technical issues to fix, Jones is a much better technician than the raw, athletic group. In particular, he is one of the most powerful OTs in this class and his power shows on the field.

Strengths

• Strong man – he can anchor against a bull rush, stun the pass rusher with blows from his big hands and arms, and control many DEs with his hands
• Good build and proportions for the position
• Durable – no history of serious injuries in four years
• Desirable mentality for an OT – can play violently without losing control, smart enough to anticipate stunts and switches
• Good balance against pass rushers
• Used his size and speed well in the Zone system in the run game

Weaknesses

• Stiff lower body that limits his agility and ability to move laterally
• Lateral quickness against speed rushers and counter moves is his Achilles heel. He can be beaten by very quick edge rushers. He overcomes limited lateral movement by his strength, punches, and moves to absorb the rusher.
• Lack of agility can make it difficult for him to respond to stunts and exchanges with other OL, even if he sees them coming
• He has mixed results blocking in space
• At times, he bends at the waist and lunges when beaten, affecting his balance
• Has some flaws that coaching may be able to fix, including losing inside position with his hands on the defender’s chest at times (inviting holding penalties) and oversetting his position against the pass rush

Let’s See His Work

Highlights of Jones at the Senior Bowl, where he excelled:

Oklahoma game, mid-season:

Appealing Interview:

RAS Chart: A Mixed Picture:

Spider graph:

How He Fits on the Commanders

Washington may well be interested in drafting Jones either at the end of Round 3 or early in Round 5 if he lasts that long (they have no 4th round pick). I like him as a developmental tackle who at worst, could be a solid backup. The key issue for OL coaches is whether he will be able to compensate for his lack of lateral agility, which will be his most important issue in facing elite NFL edge rushers. Before responding to the poll below, please look at the tape. He got the job done in college by his strength, length, and aggressiveness; the question is whether that will work in the NFL once he cleans up some technique issues. The easy answer is to move him to guard, but his is not a natural guard in either a Zone or Gap system and that may not be the best use of his talents.