Green Bay Packers: 2017 midseason rookie report card

Josh Jones

Grade: C+

Jones has several traits that make him a pleasure to watch, including his instincts to find the ball and fearlessness in using his body as a heat-seeking missile to stop opponents dead in their tracks.

But although numerous Packer diehards envisioned the ACC standout serving as an intimidating force around the line of scrimmage, Jones still has quite a way to go in his adjustment to the pro game.

As the type of downhill defender who loves attacking what’s in front of him, No. 27 tends to be overaggressive and overruns plays.

In his last game against the Saints, there were instances when Jones allowed the running back to run by him and get past the second level.

His struggles in pass coverage, on the other hand, shouldn’t come as a surprise since he’s more of a box safety at this point of his career.

Furthermore, Morgan Burnett’s absence from the lineup has probably placed excess responsibilities on his plate.

And while Jones has the physical tools and mentality to be a superior special teams player, he’ll need to curb his penchant for committing penalties. He picked up three infractions on coverage teams in his Week 7 outing alone.