Here's the list: Why you should forget everyone else and chant "Draft Matt Jones"

[convince]

If everyone believe this guy would be so great for us, why are so many against drafting him at #9?

You guys used the term great so loosely. The guy plays WR for one game and runs a sub par 4.4 in the 40, you right he is the best receiver ever. Not to mention the top rated cornerbacks he went against in the senior bowl game. I would not touch this guy unless he falls to the third round.

[bubba9497]

Originally posted by convince

If everyone believe this guy would be so great for us, why are so many against drafting him at #9?

You guys used the term great so loosely. The guy plays WR for one game and runs a sub par 4.4 in the 40, you right he is the best receiver ever. Not to mention the top rated cornerbacks he went against in the senior bowl game. I would not touch this guy unless he falls to the third round.

who called him great?

[REEGSKINS]

if the skins traded down to somewhere in the 20's and picked up a second and fifth rounder then i wouldn't be apposed to using our first rounder on him. i too think he can be a great nfl player.

[Bang]

Gerry Cooney, anyone?

Thanks anyway.

~Bang

[TheGreek1973]

Originally posted by Westbrook36

Bubba, if he played like a 4.37 guy, why was it SUCH HUGE NEWS when he ran the number? He was projected to be a 4.65 guy based off of what scouts estimated after watching him play.

Then he runs a 4.37 and everyone collectively gasps. My thing is, if he was so elusive and had the lateral ability of a sub 4.4 guy, why the surprise? Noone had any surprise when Vick ran his ridiculous number.....because he looks like that guy during game film.

I'm sorry, but he runs the same 40 as Vick just about but watch them both in the open field and it's night and day. Now, in a straight line, maybe it's a footrace.......but in the open field, forget it.

----

Oh you want to compare him to Vick? No problem lets compare them.

Jones has run for more yards in College than Vick.

Jones is 6.6 I believe Vick is 6.1

Jones is 242 lbs Vick I believe is 190 lbs

Jones vertical leap is 39 inches, don't know what Vicks leap is but the 39 inches was one of the highest recorded in the combine this year

Jones run a hand timed 4.37 Vick run I believe a hand timed 4.32.

Anything else? Oh yea one more thing. For all those guys who are not comfortable with Jones being a WR because he never played the position can they tell me how comfortable were they when we drafted someone named Monk a while back? He wasn't a true WR either having converted from a running back.

[Griff]

Here is some more on Matt:

The last four days have been spent at a pair of concurrent conventions with publishers of similar magazines to Hawgs Illustrated from around the country. Most of the other schools in the Southeastern Conference were represented. Much of the time was spent solving like problems from delivery to content ideas.

Unlike Arkansas coach Houston Nutt, I don't compete with the other schools in the SEC. In this setting, guys like Bama Magazine publisher Kirk McNair, Inside the Auburn Tiger's Mark Murphy, Gator Bait's Marty Cohen, Darrell Bird from Kentucky or Gene Swindoll from Mississippi State are my friends. We can share ideas.

All of that is great, but the real fun comes at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Invariably, at those breaks, talk turns to football. Spring drills are done around the SEC and there's plenty to discuss. It's also great to walk the strip for exercise, visiting about what is expected at the different schools this fall.

In almost every one of these settings, I'm asked about Matt Jones, Arkansas' dual sport star. He fascinates every publisher and editor in the SEC.

"Arkansas isn't the only school in the SEC which promises football recruits they can play other sports as a recruiting tool, but to me that is not real goal," said Cohen, the editor of the Florida fan publication. "Florida's coaches tell recruits they can do more than one and there are some football players who do manage to double in track. But it just doesn't ever work out. They end up being 50 percent players in both sports.

"Everyone likes to talk about what Charlie Ward did at Florida State. That is the exception, not the rule. So from my vantage point, Matt Jones is a freak and does prove all that wrong. Because he plays both, I'm guessing he spurs criticism."

Yes, all of that is true. Cohen watched Jones nearly wreck Florida's season with that fourth-quarter explosion last season in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

"One of the most fun things for me is to see the great players on the opposing teams," Cohen said. "Guys like Herschel Walker. He was the greatest I ever saw in person. Seeing Matt Jones, to me, is like seeing Walker. They just take your breath away. There's nothing better than watching someone like Jones, or a Michael Clayton at LSU.

"You just know that Matt Jones is so dangerous on any given play. I very much appreciate his ability after seeing that fourth quarter."

McNair, the veteran publisher of the highly successful Alabama fan magazine, remembers Jones' heroics in the fourth quarter and in overtime at Tuscaloosa. He knows every defensive coordinator in the league fears Jones and so do opposing fans.

"Matt has to be one of the most dangerous players in the league," McNair said of Jones. "You watch him and so many things flash through your mind on every play on both sides of the field. If you are on the other sideline, you are just scared to death of him when he tucks that ball and takes off. You know he can score on any given play and it does actually take your breath away.

"I'm guessing if you are an Arkansas fan, you have the same feeling, but also that thought that you want him to be careful because it could also be the play that he takes a shot or tackle and is hurt. You just want him to get up off the ground each time and that can take your breath away, too."

The long, overtime game at Kentucky is still fresh in the mind of Bird, editor at Cats Pause, the UK fan magazine.

"His toughness and competitiveness stand out," Bird said. "I marveled at the end. I couldn't believe he kept making those plays. So many times, I thought Kentucky had him and he'd escape and make an unbelievable play. You felt for Kentucky because it was a game it had to win, but you also gained an unbelievable amount of respect for Jones.

"So many times, I thought Kentucky was just about to crush him, and it didn't happen. I thought he would give out, but he never did."

The Auburn publisher, in rating the SEC race, threw in a disclaimer with his SEC West thoughts. Murphy wouldn't rule out Arkansas as a contender because of Jones.

"If Arkansas can play defense and somehow just stay in games until the fourth quarter, Matt Jones might find a way to win every game," said Murphy. "He's so good and so dangerous.

"In the SEC West, I see LSU with the best overall talent and the obvious pick for first. Auburn is going to be very good on offense and still solid on defense, and they are the clear second pick.

"The rest is harder to see, but I've been picking Arkansas next just on the Matt Jones factor. Arkansas might be the surprise team in the league, in my mind. I think the talent at Arkansas is a little better than most people realize. They've been playing the same guys the last couple of years, but they've continued to recruit and get players ready.

"Jones is obviously one of the very best athletes in our league. I just still can't figure where he'll play at the next level. Could it be tight end, maybe tight end, maybe as a huge wideout or maybe a strong safety? He's just so incredible. I don't know where he'll play at the next level, but he'll play some where."

Murphy thinks Ole Miss and Alabama will still be down, and although Mississippi State may improve under new coach Sylvester Croom, he still goes with the general thought that the Bulldogs are sill behind in talent and depth.

"State is just starting over," Murphy said. "It's going to be tough for a little while for Croom." McNair lists LSU first in the West, but thinks 'Bama will improve this year. After LSU, he thinks the order of finish will be Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Swindoll is an internet publisher with the top MSU site. His thoughts on the Bulldogs differ. He thinks Croom still lacks overall talent and depth, but predicts the Bulldogs will be much improved.

"There are two clear front runners in the two divisions in Georgia and LSU," Swindoll said. "I pick Georgia as the overall winner since LSU plays at Athens. In the West, behind LSU, second will be Auburn, then Alabama, then Ole Miss, State and Arkansas last. I based all of it on returning starters and schedule and that's why I have Arkansas at the bottom. They lost so much and play a brutal schedule. I will also offer that Arkansas always surprises me and it may again.

"State will be different than most think. Croom changed the discipline. For example, our offensive line has been too big with a lot of guys in the 375 range over the past few years." Croom mandated all O-linemen drop huge amounts of weight, and they did.

"They are all below 320 now, and most in the 300 to 315 range," Swindoll said. "In the past few years, so many of the O-linemen have battled injuries. It was Croom's opinion that the weight issue was the reason. There were no injuries among those guys this spring. I just think the offensive line is going to turn into a strength this coming year.

"I just think that the discipline that Croom has brought to the team will show up in so many areas. No, the depth is still going to be a problem, but I see this team being a surprise with the changes the staff has made in attitude and discipline."

http://arkansas.scout.com/2/259221.html

[TheGreek1973]

Originally posted by convince

If everyone believe this guy would be so great for us, why are so many against drafting him at #9?

You guys used the term great so loosely. The guy plays WR for one game and runs a sub par 4.4 in the 40, you right he is the best receiver ever. Not to mention the top rated cornerbacks he went against in the senior bowl game. I would not touch this guy unless he falls to the third round.

----

You think this is reaching? How about if a guy shows up in the combine 25 lbs heavier and all of a sudden he is a top 10 prospect to play DE. Yes I am talking about Merriman because sure as hell before he put those lbs on no one was projecting him in the top 10. Then you have Mike Williams who has not even played football in a year, that has had weight problems and slow compared to most Cbs in the NFL going as high as the number 4 pick in the draft. Sure thing man. I am sure you Mike Williams fanatics will point out the incredible seasons he had in his two years in college but not mentioned that he had two great QBs throwing him the ball, a great offensive line that gave time for him to get open and a great receiving crew that made it impossible for opposing teams to concentrate only on him. In other words if Jones was in that kind of a football program and played WR......you see what I am getting at? You just don't know too many variables. What the combine numbers showed is that Jones is an incredible specimen and a very smart one at that as his college academic performance shows. Is he worth the #9 pick? In my book he is.

[convince]

Originally posted by bubba9497

who called him great?

I'm not saying that you called him great, I'm just saying that a lot of people, in the threads pertaing to Matt Jones, have said that he is going to be a great receiver, and would be a great fit for us. I'm not one of those people, I'm one of the people that wouldn't mind drafting Matt, but if we were to draft him anywhere in the first round I would be very dissappointed.

[dfbovey]

Originally posted by Oldskool

1. Its not pidgeon hole when you take into account the fact that a "TE" can be anything from a monster 300lb blocker to an oversized WR like Tony Gonzalez. He wouldnt have to gain or lose any weight to be a Gonzalez-type TE.

You don't put a guy who can run a sub 4.4 forty at TE. The guy will play WR and he'll do very well.

[convince]

This guy will not be a redskin point blank. He will be good for some other team. Good Luck, Matt!

[dfbovey]

Originally posted by Westbrook36

Bubba, if he played like a 4.37 guy, why was it SUCH HUGE NEWS when he ran the number? He was projected to be a 4.65 guy based off of what scouts estimated after watching him play.

Westbrook, you should really quit while you're behind. If you watched the combine, the guys commentating were basicly saying... "Watch this guy run fast" and continued to talk about his superior atheletic ability prior to him running.

If people were expecting it of him, how exactly would that be considered a surprise?

[Beaudry]

Originally posted by Westbrook36

He shouldn't go before the third round. I love how armchair NFL GMs read one biased Mortensen article and watch his one handed catch in Senior Bowl PRACTICE and proclaim him to be a future star in the NFL.

He has BUST written all over him.

Agreed. Drafting Matt Jones in the 1st round would be like drafting Quincy Carter in the 2nd. A huge, huge mistake. I can't believe how sheepish some people are being in regards to one Mortenson article.

[ummagumma]

God, scary when the only one making sense is an Eagles fan.

[Trevor]

I didn't read the entire thread so I'm not sure if anyone else has said this or not but...You don't take projects in the 1st round. Really the 2nd either. this guy should be a 3rd rounder.

[Dead Money]

I saw a good talk on him on NFL channel's Playbook show.

Basically they all agreed that he was special...

However, Mayock brought up the following point(s) which I agree with:

(paraphrased)

We have seen recently that he can catch the ball, and he is admittetly a project at WR because he hasn't done it before. If he fails at WR or if someone drafts him to be a TE will he be that TE? Will he block? Is he tough? These are things that you cannot find when searching through all of the game film.

So he will be drafted on his "measurables" which won't make him the first player to ever have that happen to him...

At #9 no way and in the entire rest of the first round? No way.

In the third round, YES. I still think that there are other athletes that are less of a risk in the first and second rounds of this draft to bring him onto our teams as a project.

Now if we don't take a receiver at #9 and somehow end up with a second rounder (or its the third round) and Vincent Jackson and Matt Jones are both still on the board I would admittedly pull my hair out before making that choice for Jones.

[Newera]

First round picks are a crap shoot anyway. People say not at nine.

Let's see First Round average picks. Geez, we've picked up three ourselves -- Westbrook and Gardener. Remember the great Kenard Lang.

What about David Terrell. The intriguing thing about Jones to me is that he will be a converted quarterback, and even could be an emergency quarterback -- and one that can run, which we don't have.

There's a lot of stuff you could do with that dude. Looks like a huge Randel El. Personally I think he could be a pick within the top 20 based on potential.

Remember, all these guys are based on potential. He has great measurables to go along with a great heart and has the potential to be a hybrid type because there is so many things you can do with him in the right system.

He's kind of a tightend, h-back wide out in one -- and would arguably be one of our fastest receivers, of course, aside from Moss and A. Brown.

I like him a long with our smurf receivers. He balances them out. He seems to be someone you have to accout for all the time, if for speed alone. Opens up the middle of the field for Cooley.

He can throw option passes. He has a great verticle. Yes, he is high risk, but also high reward. I would take the gamble particularly if we are thinking of going receiver at nine.

He will be gone by our third round no doubt. He's an excellent pick late in the first round, and that is when I think he will go. A good team will take a chance on him. I really don't think he will get out of the first round in my opinion. He's worth the risk for some of the better teams. For instance, I would be nervous if the Eagles picked him up.

Williams and Ewards will be gone by the 9th. Merriman, Jones, Rolle are definately safer picks, but good picks.

However, I think a guy like Jones could have more impact in the long run. I also feel safer because he's a quarterback and they have shown throughtout history to be able to make the transition to other positions in the NFL.

He's a roll of the dice, but they are all. Leaf, Shuler, Couch, Kijanna Carter -- and the list goes on.

The dude is going to be a problem in the NFL -- particularly if he is used right.

All that to say, I would still probably take Merriman at nine. LOL

[jrockster21]

Originally posted by Beaudry

Agreed. Drafting Matt Jones in the 1st round would be like drafting Quincy Carter in the 2nd. A huge, huge mistake. I can't believe how sheepish some people are being in regards to one Mortenson article.

If you had read all the posts on this board, the Matt Jones bandwagon started well before the Mortensen article, and well before the combine. He was projected as a 2nd-3rd round pick before the combine and the article.

The draft is a crap shoot. Someone else pointed out the perfect example (Bubba?)...Ryan Lief with #2 and Tom Brady in the 6th round. You never know! Just look at the huge amount of first round busts!

[Westbrook36]

Originally posted by dfbovey

Westbrook, you should really quit while you're behind. If you watched the combine, the guys commentating were basicly saying... "Watch this guy run fast" and continued to talk about his superior atheletic ability prior to him running.

If people were expecting it of him, how exactly would that be considered a surprise?

You are another one that needs a quick lesson in reading comprehension.

All this hoopla about Matt Jones is because it is such huge news that he ran a 4.37......why is that? It's because noone expected it, unlike someone like Vick who plays much faster than Jones.

My god, people talking seriously about taking Jones at 9 should be given a scarlett letter, so the rest of us know for the rest of our lives that you are completely clueless.

JONES AT NINE!!! :doh: :laugh: :puke:

[dfbovey]

Originally posted by Westbrook36

You are another one that needs a quick lesson in reading comprehension.

All this hoopla about Matt Jones is because it is such huge news that he ran a 4.37......why is that? It's because noone expected it, unlike someone like Vick who plays much faster than Jones.

My god, people talking seriously about taking Jones at 9 should be given a scarlett letter, so the rest of us know for the rest of our lives that you are completely clueless.

JONES AT NINE!!! :doh: :laugh: :puke:

If you are going to harp on reading comprehension, tell me where I said I would want to take Jones with the #9 pick. I'm just saying that Jones running the forty the way he did wasn't a surprise to anyone.

And it's a combonation of that speed and size, his playmaking ability he displayed at the QB position and flashes he showed at the Senior bowl and combine as a WR that is getting him all this attention. Not just his speed. He's an athelete and a playmaker.

[convince]

Originally posted by jrockster77

If you had read all the posts on this board, the Matt Jones bandwagon started well before the Mortensen article, and well before the combine. He was projected as a 2nd-3rd round pick before the combine and the article.

The draft is a crap shoot. Someone else pointed out the perfect example (Bubba?)...Ryan Lief with #2 and Tom Brady in the 6th round. You never know! Just look at the huge amount of first round busts!

What! :rubeyes: Let met get this straight. You are saying based on the Senior Bowl, and before he ran his 4.37 40, that Matt Jones was considered a 2nd round pick. Yo, pass us some of the Jesus Juice :2drunks: I may agree with the third round (and that's a reach), but not a second round pick before the combine.

[FBChick]

Originally posted by jrockster77

If you had read all the posts on this board, the Matt Jones bandwagon started well before the Mortensen article, and well before the combine. He was projected as a 2nd-3rd round pick before the combine and the article.

The draft is a crap shoot. Someone else pointed out the perfect example (Bubba?)...Ryan Lief with #2 and Tom Brady in the 6th round. You never know! Just look at the huge amount of first round busts!

Actually he was seen as a very low round non-drafted player, because as a QB, his passing ability is actually very sub-par for the NFL. It was about average for a college QB, but nothing to get overly excited about. What made him a possibility at all, was his running/ scrambling ability.

It wasn't until the Senior bowl, when they had him play WR, that people stood up and took notice and he began climbing the draft boards. You can watch tape to see how he can run, and yes he does have lateral ability. He can make defenders miss a tackle and turn a collapsing hole into a 30+ yard TD.. that's much more then straight up speed. But the questions remained about how good of a receiver he could be. He caught 5 of 6 passes at the senior bowl and shows the ability to get seperated from coverage, but it was only one game and a few workouts. He also runs very sloppy routes, which would need serious work before he could become anything even decent in the NFL, but it didn't look to be anything that practice and technique couldn't cure.

As far as the Combine workout.. I don't think they expected him to be as slow as a high 4.6, anybody that has seen him play would expect faster then that... but no one thought he'd be a sub 4.4. That and his verticle is what has propelled him into the 2nd/ 3rd round. Honestly.. that's where he still sits really. I think these writers/ anaylist are just covering their behind with the caveat that some team MAY take him late in the first, but they honestly would be crazy to.

His is FAR from a #9 pick, still to many questions need to be answered as far as how good and what kind of receiver you would have with him. He wouldn't even really be a player this first year, so now you have a project you have to figure out where to stash. To stash him and pay #9 money is ridiculous, no matter what type of player you think he could be. If he's there when our 3rd round comes, by all means take him.. I think he will turn into something worth investing in, but I think the hype will take him off the boards in the early second round.

[Hooper]

If we were going to take a chance on a kid, I would much rather it be Adrian "I'll take the points" McPhearson. But he'll probably be gone by round three and isn't exactly a gibbs-type guy.

[Westbrook36]

Adrain McPherson and Jason Campbell are gonna turn out to be the best two QBs in this draft.

[Hooper]

Yep.

[red zone]

This is a guy who fits in well in a trade down scenario. A scenario which isn't getting much dialogue I might add.