Green Bay Packers film room: Breaking down second-round pick Josh Jones

Needs to Work On: Finishing Plays

Despite all of the positive attributes, there are a few areas of Jones’ game he needs to work on polishing.

He does a great job putting himself in position to make plays. However, he doesn’t always finish. At times this is due to poor tackling technique or over-aggressiveness.

In this clip against East Carolina Jones comes bolting into the rushing lane to layout the running back, but he whiffs on the hit, completely missing his target.

This is a great read and you have to appreciate his explosion to the ball, but he needs to land plays like this if he truly wants to be an impact player in the NFL.

He needs to keep his head up as he’s crashing down into the action so he doesn’t surrender himself and miss the ball carrier.

Here’s another play where Jones’ aggressive playing style gets the best of him. However, this time it comes against Vanderbilt.

Jones races to the sideline to obliterate the receiver. Again, it’s a good read and he puts himself into position to pop the ball loose, or in the very least, make the tackle. However, he lowers his head to deliver the knockout blow instead of squaring up to ensure the tackle.

Jones will need to work on playing under better control at the next level. His speed helps him get to where he wants to go quickly, but he over-pursues too frequently.

There’s one more example from the tape that shows a similar issue. It’s another clip from the Vanderbilt game, and on this play Jones is lined up over the slot. The Commodores hand the ball off to a motioning receiver on an outside run.

Like the previous clips, Jones reacts properly to the play and puts himself in position to make the play. However, he gets pushed back a few yards by the tight end.

However, Jones resets himself and quickly closes in on the ball carrier. Again, Jones is looking for the knockout blow, putting his head down and lunging forward, which causes him to completely miss the ball carrier.

Jones made plenty of plays in college, but he would have an even bigger impact on the field if he was more consistent in finishing plays.

The coaches may not tolerate missed tackles like this in the NFL. However, this issue in Jones’ game is easily correctible.

Jones’ ability to read and react to plays is superb, and he possesses all of the athleticism and speed to be an effective player. And while he shows an affinity to make stops against the run and in coverage, he needs to be more consistent as a tackler, especially when he’s crashing downfield.

Despite needing to shore up a few areas of his game, Jones has all of the tools to be a great player in the Packers defense, particularly in a specialized nickel role.

He should be a fun rookie to watch in training camp this summer.

*All player film courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com.

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