Losing Starting Job to James Harrison Would Cement Jarvis Jones as Draft Bust

Back in 2013, the Pittsburgh Steelers used their first-round pick on Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones. So confident were the Steelers that Jones would thrive in the NFL that the team bid adieu to longtime defensive stalwart James Harrison in free agency.

Well, after a year in Cincinnati, Harrison was back on the team last year, in part because Jones has struggled mightily as a pro—so much so, in fact, that Jones may be about to seal his status as a draft bust by losing his starting job to a soon-to-be 37-year-old.

That's the latest from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who reported over the weekend that general manager Kevin Colbert views outside linebacker as an "open competition" this spring:

In the opinion of Colin Dunlap of CBS Pittsburgh, that statement is much more an indictment of the youngster than an endorsement of the seemingly ageless veteran:

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Is this all a good thing for Jarvis Jones? Absolutely, positively not. He has been a severe underachiever, there’s really not any other way to put it. This isn’t golf or bowling — guys in the upper reaches of their 30s aren’t supposed to be able to hang with a guy who is 25 at linebacking in the NFL.

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It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Heading into the 2013 NFL draft, Jones was being hailed as one of the top defensive prospects in the nation. The 6'2", 245-pounder paced all FBS schools with 14.5 sacks in 2012 and was a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, Butkus and Lott awards.

A less-than stellar showing at that year's combine and his pro day contributed to a slight draft-day drop, but many pundits thought that the Steelers got something of a steal when Jones dropped to the 17th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Bleacher Report NFL National Lead Writer and former ESPN Insider Matt Bowen, called it one of the best fits of the entire 2013 draft:

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When Jones was still on the board at No. 17, it was easy to predict the Steelers scooping him up because he is a natural fit as an edge backer in Dick LeBeau's 3-4 defense. Think of the role that James Harrison played for the Steelers, because that's what Jones will be expected to do as a rookie in Pittsburgh.

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Bowen was far from the only sportswriter to make the link from Pittsburgh's past to the player who was supposed to represent its future. As Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest reported at the time, Jones was quick to dismiss the comparison:

It turns out Jones knew something we didn't, because he was right: To this point we've seen very little from him that resembles Harrison.

Year	G	Snaps	Tackles	Sacks	INT	FF	PFF Rank
2013	14	646	40	1.0	0	0	30
2014	7	237	18	2.0	0	1	DNQ

Jones played about 650 snaps over 14 games as a rookie for the Steelers in 2013. After tallying 14.5 sacks at Georgia the year before, Jones managed all of one as a rookie. He ranked 30th at his position among 42 qualifiers at Pro Football Focus.

2014 appeared to be off to a better start, at least on the stat sheet. Jones racked up two sacks over the season's first three weeks before dislocating his wrist against the Carolina Panthers. Jones returned later in the year, but by then Harrison was back on the team and back in playing shape.

That relegated Jones to part-time duty, and by the time all was said and done his PFF grade was actually 50 percent worse than the preceding season's.

Colbert told ESPN.com's Scott Brown that Jones' early-season success in 2014 leaves him with optimism about the youngster's future:

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Jarvis has to come in and he has to pick up where he left off before he injured his wrist because I really think he was playing very well at that point, But to have James there to spell him, push him and compete, we can’t help but benefit from having the two of them.

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Make no mistake: The way Colbert and the Steelers would like this to play out isn't hard to figure out. In a perfect world, Jones would start realizing some of the potential that got him drafted in the first round to begin with, while Harrison could be relegated to spot duty.

Harrison's return was a lifesaver for Pittsburgh last year. The 12th-year veteran racked up 5.5 sacks in 14 games and finished the season as a top-10 3-4 outside linebacker at Pro Football Focus.

Not bad for 36 years old.

But, the fact is that Harrison will turn 37 in May. Father Time is undefeated in the NFL, and Colbert told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's well aware that the more snaps Harrison plays, the more likely he is to break down:

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I think you have to be careful with any type of player at that age, except a quarterback, you have to be careful so as to not – I guess you have to be careful so as to maximize their abilities and have them be contributors over 16 games and hopefully a postseason season.

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However, the Steelers also aren't exactly in a position to be "patient" with Jones, either. The retirement of Jason Worilds (who tied for the team lead in sacks in 2014) left the Steelers thin both at outside linebacker and in the pass-rush department.

For a team whose championship window grows narrower with every Roethlisbirthday, the future is now. If Harrison is better at getting after the quarterback than Jones, he's going to play more. And given how much the 245-pound Jones has already been pushed around as a pro (he ranked 72nd among 3-4 OLB in 2014 in run defense, per PFF) a move to the strong side wouldn't appear to be in the cards.

And that leaves Jones at a crossroads, with one make-or-break period that will determine if he's a young up-and-comer or just the latest in a long list of busts from the first round in 2013.

Two years ago, Jones told ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley that being drafted by the Steelers was a dream come true: "I think this was the best choice of the whole draft, me being in Pittsburgh. This is what I was hoping for and wishing for. It happened, and it’s just like a dream come true for me."

We'll know soon enough if that dream has become a nightmare.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPManor.