Great Article On The Jaguars Reaching For Matt Jones

[Hooper]

I couldn't agree more with Pompei here.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3572116http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3572116

He has been compared with Drew Bennett, Todd Heap and Steve Young. Ted Hendricks, even. Maybe Matt Jones will develop into a combination of all those players -- and maybe he'll be part Lance Armstrong, part Achilles and part Spider-Man, too. But still, the Jaguars took him way too high for my liking.

A first-round pick is better spent on a player who is certain to be a solid contributor, even if the player will not be a star. The Patriots hit a looper to the opposite field by drafting offensive lineman Logan Mankins, but they can sleep well knowing they got on base. The Jaguars swung for the fence, and they might have hit a home run. But they also might have struck out and torn a groin.

The risk they took was unnecessary. I asked front office men from eight different teams where Jones, the Arkansas quarterback who is converting to receiver, ranked on their boards. Only one of their teams would have selected him before the third round -- that team was prepared to take Jones high in the second round -- and some would have had reservations about taking him in the third.

The fourth round is the ideal place to take a project such as Jones, who is moving to a position he never has played. An exception could have been made because he is an exception athletically. So let's say he had third-round value. The Jaguars took him with the 21st pick in the first round -- sacred territory.

The problem is nobody knows what Jones is capable of. One general manager described him as "a rich man's Woody Dantzler," referring to the former Clemson quarterback who came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent and now is a receiver for the Falcons. Jones might be a receiver, he might be a tight end, he might be a quarterback, and he might be nothing.

"Colleges can recruit players as athletes," the general manager says. "We can't. We don't have the time to develop them."

In a best-case scenario, Jones probably will take a couple years to learn to play receiver. Even accomplished college receivers often are slow to learn the position in the NFL. When Jones was trying to play receiver during Senior Bowl week practices, he understandably had no idea about route running. Whether he ever will is another matter.

Though Jones is fast, he might lack the short-area quickness almost all great receivers have. The Titans' Bennett, who played both quarterback and receiver in college, doesn't have Jones' speed or athleticism, but he is more fluid and has separation skills and an ability to change directions. The Steelers' Antwaan Randle El, another quarterback turned receiver, has exceptional quickness. Jones' size (6-6, 242) won't help him get in and out of breaks.

If Jones had not run a 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds, leaped 39.5 inches in the vertical jump and broad-jumped 10 feet, 9 inches, he would have been viewed more like Bennett in 2001 -- a curiosity not worth a major investment. Bennett signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent. During the 2004 season, scouts were saying Jones should be a late-round pick.

NFL insiders do not question Matt Jones' raw ability, but warn the transition from college QB to NFL wide receiver could be bumpy. (Danny Johnston / Associated Press)

Workouts are supposed to confirm what a player shows on tape, not replace tape. But Jones went from the bottom of the draft to the top based on what he did in shorts, not pads.

"Everyone compared him to Mike Williams," another general manager says. "Jones is faster and bigger, so the thinking was, 'Why can't he be better?' "

Williams caught 176 passes for 2,570 yards and 30 touchdowns in two seasons of college football. Jones caught four balls for 58 yards in four seasons.

The Jaguars didn't pass on Williams to take Jones, but they did pass two excellent receiver prospects who are much closer to sure things -- Mark Clayton and Roddy White. Receiver wasn't a need for the Jaguars, unless they believe Reggie Williams, their first-round pick last year, is a bust. They also could have taken cornerback Fabian Washington. They could have taken a safety, either Marlin Jackson or Brodney Pool. They could have picked tight end Heath Miller.

The Jaguars chose the chef's surprise when they could have had the specialty of the house. Here's hoping they don't bite into anything hard.