2023 NFL Draft Profile: OT Dawand Jones

Embed from Getty Images
A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Dawand Jones appeared in parts of four seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes. His last two seasons is where he began to earn starting reps, taking the spot at right tackle. The mammoth blocker would go on to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors in each of 2021 and 2022. On top of that, Jones was named a first-team All-American for the 2022 campaign.

Top Strengths

Length

It is not often that a player is blessed with arm length measuring in at 36 3/8″. Yet, Dawand Jones possesses something that other offensive tackle prospects may be lacking. And for most teams, length is an item that has to pass a certain threshold, in order to play snaps for that squad. Jones is obviously horrific for pass rushers to have to work around. Meanwhile, he utilizes his length to his advantage in a multitude of ways. He will look to work his body weight on top of defenders, so to speak. Elsewhere, Jones works to get his arms wide and coiled immediately after the snap.

Hand Technique

Dawand Jones is impressive in how he uses a varied approach to counteract opposing pass rushers. Coming up with a different plan, snap to snap, will usually leave opponents frustrated. Jones will often use a sudden jab technique that allows his hands and chest to remain free. On the other hand, the Ohio State product will sometimes look to chop downwards on somebody’s hands, taking away their initial leverage. The timing and placement of his hands allow for Jones to overpower defensive linemen when he wants to.

Power At The Point Of Attack

The power at the point of attack is an area where Dawand Jones really improved in 2022. Beforehand, this blocker was someone who played too small, despite having the opportunity to play big and get in a player’s face. Jones always had a sense of aggression deep inside. Once he unlocked that further, his results started to improve. With his smooth hand technique, Jones is able to exude his massive core strength at the most opportune times. In the right moments, Jones can create movement that leaves opponents toppled and falling backwards into the dirt.

Areas Of Improvement

Footwork In Pass Sets

The movement skills of Dawand Jones are not among the worst in the 2023 offensive tackle class. At the same time, moving and shuffling crisper and cleaner could be beneficial to him. He is not always able to reach proper angles and landmarks against faster or more explosive pass rushers. Sure, his length can make up for some of that. Jones is just a bit too heavy in his slides and kicks when working laterally. With more subtle, yet efficient, steps when blocking, he will be more successful.

Anchoring In Pass Protection

The challenges of handling his own mass and frame can get the best of Dawand Jones from time to time. For example, there are moments where he is a bit top-heavy. That can lead to a loss of balance. Or, Jones may become heavy on his feet and toesy, to where he is leaning too far forward. It is not impossible for Jones to become more compact and balanced. He has shown it on film. Though, anchoring more consistently will be crucial for him at the NFL level.

Versatility

Dawand Jones presents a bit more upside as a pass protector. That is not to say that he cannot create movement as a run blocker. But largely, Jones is a bit of a liability when asked to expand beyond the basic asks of a run blocker. Attacking at more consistent angles is a work in progress. To boot, Jones can often get stuck in no man’s land by being overaggressive, on occasion. There may not be a lot of appeal to him being a universal scheme fit, overall.

Ideal Role

Dawand Jones is likely best suited to stick at right tackle. As for his proper offensive scheme, this protector could be maximized most in a spread offensive scheme. He is not going to be able to rely on proper run blocking right away. Therefore, Jones is probably not going to be a fit for an offense that utilizes a zone running scheme. Rather, a gap run scheme is much safer for his overall skill set.

Potential Fits

Let’s go ahead and list a few teams that could be potential fits for Dawand Jones in the 2023 NFL Draft. If he were to go near the end of round one, the Kansas City Chiefs could make sense. With newly signed Jawaan Taylor likely going to left tackle, the brick wall of Dawand Jones would likely be able to keep Patrick Mahomes from getting touched at all at right tackle in Kansas City.

There are also some possible fits for Jones on day two of the draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers could make sense. For a team that needs to add more than one offensive lineman to compete, making Kenny Pickett feel more comfortable should be priority number one. Finally, the Washington Commanders may be looking for a future pillar at offensive tackle. Perhaps, Jones is that name for Washington.

Be on the lookout for more FPC 2023 NFL Draft prospect profiles throughout the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.