The Green Bay Packers grabbed an athletic and disruptive defensive lineman prospect in Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft for The Athletic.
Brugler has the Packers taking UConn’s Travis Jones at No. 28 overall in his post-combine mock draft.
Jones (6-4, 325) has dominated the pre-draft process so far, including the combine.
From Brugler: “It would be easy to overlook Jones playing for a program like UConn, but he has made it impossible for anyone to miss him throughout the draft process. He was nearly unblockable at the Senior Bowl and continued that momentum at the combine, crushing the position drills and posting outstanding numbers (4.92 40-yard dash, 7.33 three-cone drill) at 325 pounds.”
A mix of strength and athleticism, Jones could team with Pro Bowler Kenny Clark to give the Packers a pair of foundational pieces for Joe Barry’s defensive line.
Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire believes Jones has potential as a pass-rusher and “the quickness to win one-on-ones” on the interior.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones produced 25 pressures and 21 run stops during his final season at UConn.
“He was the only guy on that defense,” Rupp said, “and was still able to be a disruptive force.”
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Jones to Jonathan Hankins and called him a “nose tackle with size and power” and a “rumbling play style.”
“Jones has the demeanor, traits and overall ability to become a successful run-plugger and potential starter in a two-gapping scheme,” Zierlein wrote.
With great testing numbers at 325 pounds, Jones produced a Relative Athletic Score of 9.65 of 10.0. The Packers typically target young and highly athletic prospects in the first round under general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Travis Jones is a DT prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.65 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 48 out of 1325 DT from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/sQ7NxCYPlN #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/YkgcKEgPlI
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2022
Clark needs help along the defensive line, and adding a big, athletic player like Jones could open up more attacking possibilities for others in the Packers front seven.
“In Green Bay, he’ll face constantly one-on-ones with teams focusing on Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary. That late in the first round you bet on the traits and upside that Jones possesses,” Rupp said.
In the second round of Brugler’s mock, the Packers took Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen, who is an ascending prospect after running the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at the combine.
