Reshad Jones Scouting Report

Here is a scouting report on Reshad Jones courtesy of mockingthedraft.com

Reshad Jones
6'2, 215 pounds | Strong safety | Georgia

Agility/Hips: Can turn and run well. Short steps allow him to turn north south with balance and quickness. Does not change direction well when moving laterally. Struggles to cut with a receiver in man coverage.

Ball Skills: Drops a lot of easy interceptions. Has developed nice timing in jumping throws and can break up a lot of passes, but does not end up with sure-thing interceptions. Lets the ball get in to his body, does not follow the ball in to his hands.

Body Control: Maintains balance downfield in coverage. Will lose his feet when trying to stick with a receiver underneath. Does a nice job of leaping for jump balls, gathers his weight and gets the most out of his jump.

Instincts/Recognition: Plays the run better than most linebackers in terms of diagnosing running lanes and attack the line of scrimmage. Reads his keys effectively and is rarely caught out of position. Does not do well in single high coverage, late to read the quarterback’s intended receiver.

Pass Coverage: Has plenty of experience in man coverage. High in his back pedal and does not explode in breaks against crossing routes. Does not have the range to play a single high Cover 1 role, but can be trusted as a Cover 2 safety. Anticipates routes and lanes well.

Pursuit: Outstanding pursuit. Consistently takes the proper angles to meet the ball carrier at the point where he can deliver a blow. Is rarely caught out of position against the run. Uses his length to ensure ball carries will not get by him when pursuing laterally.

Run Support: The best part of Jones’ game. He is comfortable as the eighth man in the box and has enough size and strength to handle the physical part of the game in traffic. Plays downhill with aggression. Sure tackler that can take down a ball carrier by himself.

Speed: Does not have elite speed downfield, can be beat deep. Has the long strides to aid him with recovery, but his lack of top end speed can be exploited against the faster receivers.

Tackling: Sure tackler that can be depended upon as the last line of defense with confidence. Shows proper technique and makes the effort to wrap up and drive the ball carrier through the ground. Has had more than his fair share of bone-jarring hits. Will make receivers think twice about going over the middle. Really lays the wood and consistently knocks the ball carrier backward.

Final Word: Jones is a safety that is NFL ready from the physical point of view. He plays with the kind of downhill aggression that every team wants in an enforcer over the middle. He is a guy that always find himself in or near the action, getting in on a lot of turnovers and big plays. He is not the kind of safety that can be trusted with a lot of coverage responsibility but his length and instincts will be enough to get him in the every down defense early in his career. If he can be put in to a system that allows him to play downhill and in man coverage against tight ends, Jones will thrive. He is of the 2nd round type that teams will look to as the kind of high reward pick in terms of immediate payback.

I have also included a video so you can see some of his highlights. As you can probably tell, he is definitely an amazing tackler.

Thank you to Kevin Modica for showing me the video.



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Miami Dolphins Safety Situation: Should they Bring in New Players?

The Miami Dolphins weakest point last year was definitely their pass defense. If you ask any Miami fan who payed attention to the Dolphins last year, they will probably say something similar to that.

So, it was obvious that during the off-season Miami had to make some changes and improve their secondary. What I'm wondering is: have the Dolphins done enough to be successful against the top passing defenses in the NFL? I honestly don't think they have.

Safety is where Miami needs the most help. The Miami Dolphins only drafted one safety in the 2010 NFL Draft, and that was Reshad Jones in the fifth round. It may be better than nothing, but it still isn't much.

I think that the Dolphins should be searching for a new safety in the free agent market. One of those free agent safeties is veteran Pro Bowl FS Darren Sharper who was on the New Orleans Saints last year. I know his contract is pretty expensive (not sure the exact figures), but he would definitely be an improvement over what we have right now. He would also be able to teach the younger safeties so they can step in when he retires.

From what I can tell, there are not any other good safeties available in the free agent market that would be worth the Dolphins signing. So, I really hope that they try and go for Sharper.

Please check out my blog: Dolphin Shout

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Check out my blog for a bonus comparison between Gibril Wilson and Darren Sharper, so you can see how much the potential improvements can be.

I post first on my blog and then add the post as an article to Bleacher Report later, so be sure to check it often so you can see the posts as soon as they come out.

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