Mike Jones Jr. NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for LSU LB

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 230

HAND: 10"

ARM: 32"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.75

3-CONE: 7.3

SHUTTLE: 4.6

VERTICAL: 33"

BROAD: 9'9"

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POSITIVES

– Named team captain at the beginning of the season.

– Good athlete with springy legs; moves really well for the position.

– Has the speed to carry running backs and tight ends down the field and take away posts/the seam when playing Tampa 2.

– Should have few to no issues mirroring and matching tight ends in man coverage.

– Uses his hands and athleticism to avoid blocks/make offensive linemen miss when moving laterally versus outside zone.

– Solid at working the hands as a pass-rusher when blitzing and has fluid hips to clear his lower half and get a clean win.

– Experience playing special teams.

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NEGATIVES

– Instincts versus the run are a mess; often looks like he's guessing.

– Against inside runs, he drops his hands and tries to go chest-to-chest with blockers.

– Lacks the strength to get extension; he concedes ground to create space, and he will get pushed around by tight ends in the running game.

– Angles as a run defender are poor/too shallow.

– Doesn't have much power behind his pads; offensive linemen will be able to catch and control him when he blitzes, and he's not going to knock running backs backward when tackling.

– Can get caught staring in the backfield when playing zone coverage.

– Seemingly fell out of favor with LSU's new coaching staff last season; his playing time was significantly reduced after the first half of the season.

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NOTES

– Born December 19, 1998

– Clemson transfer

– A 4-star recruit in the 2018 class, No. 210 overall, No. 15 OLB, per 247Sports composite rankings

– Injuries: 2020 (Undisclosed)

– Career stats (five seasons): 101 total tackles (46 solo), 10 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 INTs, 4 PD, 2 FFs

– 2020 Honors: Second-Team All-ACC (PFF)

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OVERALL

Mike Jones Jr. had an interesting college career. He played at Clemson for his first two-plus years, and it looked like he was ready to take over in the safety/linebacker hybrid role that Isaiah Simmons played in Will Venables' defense.

However, he transferred to LSU because he wanted to play more in the box as a traditional linebacker and didn't start until roughly the end of 2021.

This past year in Baton Rouge, Jones was named a captain and was a starter at the beginning of the campaign, but he was reduced to being a reserve 'backer and special teamer about halfway through the campaign.

As far as his NFL projection goes, he can be a solid reserve linebacker who can cover and play on special teams. He has experience playing on nearly every special teams unit, which makes him an intriguing undrafted free-agent target who could sneak onto a 53-man roster in the right situation.

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GRADE: 5.4 (Backup or UDFA with Roster Potential/UDFA)

OVERALL RANK: 266

POSITION RANK: LB20

PRO COMPARISON: Daren Bates

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder