Between now and the 2023 NFL Draft, we look forward to scouting and profiling as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks through Day 3 picks and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be doing a profile on Truman Jones, an Edge player from Harvard.
#90 Truman Jones, EDGE, Harvard (SR) — 6026, 251 lbs.
Shrine Bowl/Combine/Pro Day
measurements
| Player | Height Weight | hand size | arm length | Wingspan |
| truman jones | 6’2” ¾ /251 | 10 | 33 5/8 | 81 5/8 |
| 40 yard dash | 10 yard dash | short transport | 3 cones | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Long jump | Vertical | Bench press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The good
— Good pad level and leverage
— Hand placement and strength for power attacks
— Speed and acceleration to chase across the field
— Get your hands on the launch rails.
— Good ability to establish edge and keep outside arm free
— Solid pile and shed
— From off the ball, rushes into backfield, chases running backs
— Strong tackler using length and physicality
— Some Short Zone ability; Smart and athletic to improve
The bad
— Marginal first step vs run and pass
— Rolls out of his stance instead of exploding onto the field
— Take a decisive second run vs pass
— Pass connection plan limited mainly to power connections
— Minimal use of chops/swipes to keep hands off it
— The turning movement stops halfway
— Limited coverage experience
Biography
— 2022: 40 tackles, 19 solo, 13 TFL, 6 sacks, 6 QB rushes, 1 FF, 1 pass breakup, 3 kicks blocked
— Career: 88 tackles, 38 solo, 28.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, 4 FF, 1 FR, 3 pass breakups, 4 kick blocked
— 30 games
– Team captain
—First Team All-Ivy League, Academic All-Ivy League
— Bushnell Cup winner awarded to players who display outstanding leadership qualities, competitive spirit, team contribution and on-field achievement
— Hula Bowl, Shrine Bowl guest
— In high school, 3-year starter, 2-year captain on the lacrosse team; 3 years starter, 1 year soccer captain
tape breakdown
For Truman Jones, the transfer portal was his first choice, but he later decided to turn professional. Most of his time was spent at defensive end on an even front playing a three- or four-point position. In his final season, he was asked to play more off the ball at outside linebacker in the overhang/apex position.
As a pass rusher, Jones had most of his success as a power pass rusher. Lining up as the left defensive end, he plays with good leverage and hand placement to get the lineman on their heels and into the pocket. Using a straight bull run or long arm stab, he can get depth and use the length of him to get his hands into the launch lane. Its drop and rip around the edge shows potential, but it was not used often. He has good acceleration to get out of the pocket and run over scramblers.
At Princeton, on the first play of the game, Jones (90), on the far left, will put his right hand on the right tackle’s chest to bring him back to the quarterback and with his left hand will break up the throw leading to a intercept.
This is the dip and rip motion. He didn’t use it often, but it shows some potential.
On Howard, another example of a power run, chasing with his athleticism and creating a turnover.
At Yale, a couple more works. The first pulling the strap out of the bag and the second chasing it out again.
He has very good athleticism and was also used to spy on QBs. While coverage is a somewhat new task for him, he showed the speed to run with tight ends and running backs out of the backfield late in the season. There is potential for him to handle short Zone drops in the flat area. The mental side is there to know the role of him. It’s about improving his execution.
Vs Holy Cross, this is a sequence of three consecutive games. Playing on his feet, he’ll beat a shooting blocker to make the tackle, push the tight end aside to tackle the quarterback, and then spy on the quarterback using his speed to chase him down.
At Cornell, he plays off the ball on the left side and shows off his change of direction, acceleration and speed to chase the quarterback for the sack.
At Cornell, he doesn’t have the ball on the right side in Zone coverage. This is a good replay that reacts to the play and forces incompleteness.
Against the run, he plays stronger than his size. He has very good strength and leverage to establish the edge, keeping his outside arm free to make tackles. He has good hand placement and a solid ability to break blocks and make plays to both sides. His mental processing is solid at reading mesh point and collapsing in when necessary. His change of direction is good and he accelerates quickly to chase outside. As a tackler, he is very good at using his length and physique to break down running backs quickly.
At Cornell, he did a clinic establishing the edge, getting rid of the blocker and making the tackle.
In Howard, from the outside he shows off his quickness to make two tackles in the backfield.
At the time of the snap, he displays appropriate quickness when coming out of his stance instead of lunging forward to attack. When rushing the passer, his steps can become short and jerky instead of extending downfield and stressing the outside of the tackle’s hip. He will show up and there is a split second to determine run against pass before rushing the passer. His fast passing game is very limited. He has tried an outside turn but has been unsuccessful. When he faces the lineman, his hand use is marginal with limited use of punches and cuts. Coverage is a work in progress for him and he will fight cutbacks by potential receivers. Men’s coverage is not recommended for the most part.
A couple plays where he needs work. The first is an outside spin pass run. His turn to the outside is stopped by taking away the impulse to go up the field. The second play is a Man coverage play on tight end where he loses it right away.
Conclusion
Overall, Jones has very good athleticism, is a strong tackler and is a good assignment player. Against the pass, he shows good power to push the passer and potential to build his pass rush plan. He gets his hands on the shooting lanes and should be able to handle Zone coverage in the short box. Against the run, he uses strength and leverage to establish the edge and a solid ability to throw blocks. He uses his length, acceleration, and strength to knock down ball carriers.
Jones has indicated that he is more comfortable with his hand on the ground, but also has the ability to play on his feet. He was used more as an off-the-ball outside linebacker than the 3-4 outside linebacker Pittsburgh uses. There’s a learning curve here, but I think he has the athleticism, strength and potential to play on an odd or even front. However, his pass rush needs a lot of work and patience to develop.
Initially he would enter as a rotation player; a third or fourth Edge player for a team and playing on special teams. He has the athleticism, strength and intelligence to become a future starter if he can develop. It’s interesting that New England coached him to the Shrine Bowl because he seems like a player they’d covet and probably a round before other teams. I think he would be an asset to whoever drafts him and in Pittsburgh we would probably be No. 4 outside linebacker the first year and play specials while we improve his pass rush plan.
Finding player compensation was difficult for Jones. Anthony Chickillo was a trade from DE to OLB and is a similar length. His run at the passer never really played out, but Jones is a better athlete. Shaquil Barrett had some similar issues with his first step and segmented rushing, but he ultimately had good years of rushing.
Projection: half day three
Deposit Draft Grade: 6.9 Backup/Special Team (Fifth Round)
Games watched: 2021 – against Princeton; 2022 – Against Holy Cross, at Cornell, at Howard, against Yale