Our new massive series here at Downtown Rams will give you players that catch our eye. We will bring you bring you draft prospects, see where their fit is with the Rams and of course give you a player comparison
Who is Zay Jones?
He’s just one very consistently dominant college receiver who many including myself have been sleeping on. Jones absolutely blew the lid off the Senior Bowl game. Jones was making plays all over the field and while the box score only shows that he had one touchdown…he saw the end zone two other times that were called back. Jones as NFL draft expert Mike Mayock put it “catches everything”. He is the all-time leader in receptions in college football history with 399. Clearly this kid’s stock is skyrocketing and he’s going to be playing on Sunday’s next season. This home-grown Texas WR sure made those teams like Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M etc. regret not giving him a scholarship.
Strengths:
Natural hands
Strong hands
Ideal blocker
Ability to lay out and make the tough catch
Attacks the ball at it’s highest point
Production
Good route runner
Doesn’t tip off the route to the defender
Balance
Shifty
Good height
Body control
Vertical leap
Relentless worker
Plays with a chip on his shoulder
Can throw the football in trickery plays
Weaknesses:
Lack’s NFL speed
Tendency to push off and make it obvious
Lacks NFL bulk
Could have trouble getting off the line against stronger CB’s
How does he fit the Rams?
Anyone who can catch fits with the Rams. However, Zay Jones could immediately contribute with the Rams new West Coast style offense HC Sean McVay will implement. Jones is likely to be a Rookie of the Year candidate in the right situation. With ideal height as a 6-foot-1 WR he can start on the outside. His only real issue is his lack of bulk. If the Rams happen to sign DeSean Jackson in free agency and draft Zay Jones, all of the sudden their WR corps start to look good. Jones isn’t your 6-foot-3 big bodied WR the Rams have had on the outside in Kenny Britt and Brian Quick, but he is likely to be a consistent golden handed receiver that could be what the Rams are missing. Jones may not have elite NFL speed, but neither did Brian Quick or Pharoh Cooper or even Mike Thomas. Jones is likely to run in the 4.5’s and he was even timed as the fastest WR at the Senior Bowl so there is so uncertainty there. Bottom line: Zay Jones is definitely a WR the Rams need to target and would fit like a glove for QB Jared Goff.
2013-2016 Career Stats
399 receptions, 4,279 yards, 23 touchdowns
Draft Grade:
2nd round – 3rd round
Player Comparison
Davante Adams
I feel really confident in this comparison. Davante Adams was just like Zay Jones is, he came out of a smaller school in Fresno State. Both players have natural hands and run crisp routes. Adams was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round. Zay Jones might end up being a second round pick as well, with the way it’s starting to look. Both are 6-foot-1 which is ideal NFL height. One thing about Adams that I like over Jones is his bulk. Jones is 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, but Adams is 6-foot-1 with 215 pounds on him. If Jones can bulk up to at least 210 that would be a big help for him adapting to the NFL level. Regardless, Jones is a great prospect and Adams has turned himself into a great player in the NFL. He finished three yards shy of 1,000 and had 12 touchdowns. If Jones has the production Adams has had in the NFL the team that drafts him will be very happy.
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