7 teams went with a tackle over Jones
Former UH lineman has a hit list of organizations that skipped him
FRISCO — Josh Jones kept waiting, and his patience grew thinner during the NFL draft before he finally got the call from Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Lasting until the third round was an unexpected and still unexplained fall for Jones, the University of Houston offensive tackle originally projected to go in the first or second round.
Jones wound up being selected 72nd overall as the eighth offensive tackle picked. He kept careful notes of which tackles were picked ahead of him: Andrew Thomas (Giants), Jedrick Wills (Browns), Mekhi Becton (Jets), Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers), Austin Jackson (Dolphins) and Isaiah Wilson (Titans) in the first round and Ezra Cleveland (Vikings) in the second.
As upsetting as the draft snub was at the time, Jones is still using that moment to provide motivation as he prepares diligently for his rookie season.
“Definitely, it’s a chip on my shoulder,” Jones said during the third annual OL Masterminds Summit, a specialized offensive line event organized by Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson and private offensive line coach Duke Manyweather. “I’m going to make all those guys regret it.
“I’m going to put in the time, I’m going to put in the work. All the things they didn’t see, I’m going to make sure they see it.”
At 6-5 and a lean 319 pounds, Jones combines power and athleticism. He stonewalled top pass rushers at the Senior Bowl. At the NFL scouting combine in February, Jones ran the 40-yard dash in 5.27 seconds. He bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times.
Although this was a strong draft class for tackles, Jones’ fall remains a head-scratcher for him and his agent, Joel Segal. It was puzzling for the Cardinals, too. Arizona general manager Steve Keim assigned Jones with a firstround grade in his scouting report.
“I’m not sure what happened,” said Jones, who played in high school at Bush. “The draft is crazy. It’s nothing against the teams. They probably just saw something different. It’s all good. It’s a blessing to be drafted by the Cardinals. I’m ecstatic.”
One of the best pass-blockers in the nation, Jones had a 93.2 percent grade, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked second highest among tackles this season. It was the best grade ever given to an offensive tackle outside the Power Five conferences.
After failing to convince Jones to accept a scholarship offer to Texas Tech when he recruited him out of high school, Kingsbury is happy to land him the second time around.
“He told me, no, I do remember that,” Kingsbury said. “You could tell he was an athletic player. He had great focus. Even then, you could tell he wanted to be a good player. You’ve just see him grow up. Talking to his O-line coach (Brandon Jones) this year, talking to Dana Holgorsen, to watch them have a tough year and the way he handled it and was a leader and was professional and kept doing his job to the best of his ability; it goes a long way. Really
happy to get to work with him after he turned me down initially.”
Now, Jones is determined to make a quick impact in the NFL. That’s why he attended this event: to learn as much as possible about the craft of blocking, nutrition and training from seasoned linemen like Johnson and Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead.
“Man, it’s huge,” Jones said. “I had to get here. It’s nothing but vets here, Lane Johnson, Terron Armstead. It’s going to be so much knowledge they’re going to be giving me.
“As a rookie coming in, I don’t know nothing from nothing. They’re going to be teaching me a whole lot, I’m just going to try to absorb as much as I can.”
Accustomed to playing with mobile quarterbacks after blocking for D’Eriq King and Greg Ward in college, Jones can’t wait to play with Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“It’s kind of like all of the quarterbacks I’ve played with that moved around and made plays, so I’m kind of acclimated to it already,” Jones said. “Kyler’s a great player. I can’t wait to get back there and block for him.”
Jones will be joined in Arizona by former Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Cardinals in one of the most shocking moves of the offseason.
Jones has been training in Dallas with Manyweather every day, preparing for his first NFL season following a unique offseason with no minicamps or organized team activities due to the coronavirus pandemic. Jones’ interaction with teammates and coaches has been limited to Zoom video calls.
The Cardinals expect Jones to compete with veterans Marcus Gilbert and Justin Murray at right tackle, working opposite left tackle D.J. Humphries. Regardless of whether he starts immediately or it takes more time for him to earn a starting job, Jones is determined to prove be belongs.