Dawand Jones is a Fascinating Tackle With Historic Measurements

First Round Mock’s NFL Draft Analyst Garrett Hearl goes big on Ohio State’s Dawand Jones, no pun intended.

Any team who wants to establish their running attack might want to take a good hard look at Ohio State right tackle Dawand Jones – NFL Draft Analyst Garrett Hearl

Jones is a mammoth sized human being, and he rewrote the record books at the Senior Bowl with a wingspan officially of 89 1/2 inches, which is the longest wingspan in the history of this football event.

His wingspan would he the equivalent to that of a person standing 7-foot-5.

On top of this, Jones measured to be 6-foot-8 and 359 pounds. For reference, if Jones were to play his first snap in the NFL right now, he would be the fourth heaviest offensive tackle. He would be behind Ravens ‘ Daniel Faalele, Patriots’ (380) Trent Brown (380) and the Eagles’ Jordan Mailata (360).

We know Jones has size – but how does the man who protected consensus top-ten pick quarterback C.J. Stroud for two seasons fair on game film as a potential first-round pick?

Super Power

Let’s talk about that strength and power, because he has a lot of it, and he knows how to use it. If he gets those long arms on a defender’s shoulder pads, forget about it.

In pass protection, Jones is sturdy once he is engaging with rushers. He does well finding his footing off his first drop step into pass protection. However, it’s not a secret Jones will be struggling against speed rushers at the next level. He just does not have the agility to keep up with them, nor does he have the needed center of gravity against the dip move coming off the edge.

If he gets knocked off balance or pushed wide before getting hit with a quick inside step, he will not be able to recover.

In the run game, teams always talk about right and left tackles setting the edge – – Jones sets his own edge.

This Ohio State big man had an 85.0 run-blocking grade (profootballfocus.com), and that really could have been higher.

On film, Jones’ power shows up in the run game and that is where that elite grade came from. He has really powerful legs to push defenders out of the way and he combines that with his arm range, making him a very safe run blocking projection to the next level.

Jones has a very good first step into attacking the defender, and his ability to finish the block is what separates him from a good run blocker to being a great run blocker.

Elite physical traits showing up on tape? That is exactly what you want to see when evaluating talent.

Changing the Game – 2021 > 2022

Jones in 2021 really just looked like a man who was a monster physically, playing tackle with no regard for technique or hand placement. Just turn on the Michigan game where he went up against the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Aidan Hutchinson, and you’ll see Hutchinson ripping through Jones’ hands with ease. This is not what you want from someone who is 359 pounds.

Fast forward one season later when he is working against Notre Dame’s edge Isaiah Foskey, and the improvement in pass protection was clear. Jones was sliding his feet much more smoothly, and he looked very polished at right tackle.

Everything you want to see improved from 2021 to 2022, Jones accomplished.

Dawand Jones is a monster of a human being. Your favorite NFL team could be getting one of the largest tackles in the NFL from day one.

Grade – Late Round 1 | Expectation – Early Round 2

Jones really helped himself during the Senior Bowl. He was showing off his power and his ability moving laterally in one-on-ones.

Jones excelled in basketball as well, receiving multiple Division 1 scholarship offers, which speaks further to his athletic ability.

I expect will be coming off the draft board later on day one or early day two. He’s a plug-and-play right tackle from the first day of camp. Hopefully, he’ll get a lot more short-yardage opportunities ran behind him at the next level.

I see Jones as a consistent 10-year starter in the NFL.

• Player Comparison – Jordan Mailatan (Eagles)
• 2021 Game Film Reviewed – Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State
• 2022 Game Film Reviewed – Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Notre Dame

Garrett Hearl is an aspiring NFL Draft Writer with a unique passion and love for scouting and player evaluation. Continuously wanting to learn more about football than he knew yesterday, he is currently attending Michigan State University where he is working to a degree in Journalism and Sports Journalism. Garrett lives for watching game film, learning more about the game, and is driven by his ultimate goals. Garrett writes for FirstRoundMock.com and he can be found on Twitter @garrett2hearl.