The Pittsburgh Panthers have many intriguing prospects heading to the 2021 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh is sending two pass rushers to the NFL with Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones II declaring. Jones may be the better of the two and offers some great traits in his pass-rushing and run-defending skills. He will likely be a day three pick and would be a nice value selection at that spot.
Make sure to check out all of our other 2021 NFL Draft Scouting Reports.
Player Bio
Name: Patrick Jones II
Jersey: #91
Position: Edge Rusher
School: Pittsburgh
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 264 lbs
Explosiveness (9/10)
Jones has an insane first step. He puts the tackle in a poor position from the start and keeps them on their toes the rest of the game. Right from the jump, Jones has an advantage over the tackle.
Flexibility (6.75/10)
Jones is more of a power rusher than speed rusher. He isn’t overly bendy but he does have some bend to him. His technique is great, and that’s why he gets by a lot of tackles.
Length (6.25/10)
While Jones is 6’5″, he is only a touch over 260 pounds. He can get worked some by heavier tackles and needs more of a power element to his game.
Run Defense (9.25/10)
Jones is one of the best run defending pass-rushers in the draft. Despite being a smaller edge rusher, he will take on blocks and run through them to meet the running back.
Football IQ (8.5/10)
Jones is very good at processing in the run game. He does a great job of processing which lane the running back is running through and explodes through the line to meet him at the hole. Jones reads screens well and meets the running back right as they get the ball.
Lateral Mobility (8.25/10)
Jones has surprisingly good lateral agility. He is smooth down the line of scrimmage and can track down ball carriers from the opposite side of the line.
Tackling (8/10)
Jones is a sound tackler. It is more based upon his effort to not give up on the tackle and keep fighting to bring him down more than effort. There weren’t many missed tackles, and he is a heavy hitter.
Power (6.5/10)
Jones doesn’t have the strongest hands. He relies more on his technique and effort to get his way through to the quarterback. Jones doesn’t win on first contact and could afford to add some more strength to add to his disposal.
Versatility (5.75/10)
He will only be relegated to playing as a 4-3 end. He could line up as a 3-4 WILL linebacker, but he doesn’t have any experience in pass coverage. NFL teams that run a 3-4 could have him off their board as he hasn’t played on the interior.
Effort (4.75/5)
Jones is always looking for work. Even against linemen that outweigh him by about 50 pounds, Jones will never give up and keep churning his feet to try and get to the quarterback.
Injury (4.5/5)
Jones didn’t have much of an injury history during his time at Pittsburgh. He did suffer a hamstring injury before his pro day and didn’t look like himself at the Senior Bowl.
Player Summary
Jones hasn’t had a great pre-draft process since the Senior Bowl. He is very scheme dependent and only fits in a 4-3 defense. He needs to bulk up a bit more to survive against tackles in the NFL. Jones is a solid player that will be selected on day three that will mainly rely on his explosiveness, effort, and run defense in the NFL. He is a bit of a boom-or-bust prospect due to limited scheme dependency and small frame.
Final Grade (77.5/100): Late Third Round
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