Felix Jones, 2008 NFL Draft Prospect
 | Running Back Arkansas Junior Ht: 5’ 11" Wt: 205 lbs. Speed: 4.41 Strengths: Natural Running Skills, Speed, Kick Return Weaknesses: Size, Strength, Durability Scouting report by Daryl Breault |
Not much separates Arkansas lightning bug running back Felix Jones from prominent runners Ray Rice and Steve Slaton. In fact, a mere 10 pounds is about all that has scouts and draft sites trumpeting Jones as 1st round talent while Rice and Slaton have been deemed too small and appear destined to be 3rd round picks.
Playing second fiddle to Uber-prospect Darren McFadden, Jones has twice cracked the 1,000-yard mark and averaged a gaudy 7.6 yards per carry. Add 20 touchdowns, developing receiving abilities and his limitless potential as a kick returner and it becomes easy to see why everyone has fallen for “The Cat”. Jones finished his college career with a kick return average of 27.3 with 4 TD. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and named 1st Team All-SEC as a kick returner in 2005, voted 1st Team SEC by coaches in 2006 and was an All-American kick returner this year. McFadden and he became the first duo in Arkansas history to have 1,000-yards seasons in the same year and then repeated the feat again in 2007. Looking at Jones stats, it’s obvious that he could have gone down as one of the greatest runners to ever play college football if only he hadn’t been on the same team as McFadden. Jones has yet to post over 200 carries in a season so it remains to be seen if Jones can handle a starters role. Regardless, the possibilities for Jones looking back are staggering, the records that might have fallen are incredulous, the talent in that young man is obviously brimming.
But I keep coming back to the Rice and Slaton comparisons. Are a few pounds really that big of a deal? Production wise you could argue that Jones would have similar numbers to Rice, who broke 2,000-yards this year and has 44 TDs over the last two seasons. Low end, Jones might be similar to Slaton, who produced 3 straight 1,000-yard seasons and averaged 17 TDs a year at West Virginia. Why is this important? Jones has to separate himself from these men, and Jonathan Stewart… and Rashard Mendenhall… and Chris Johnson… and Jamaal Charles and Kevin Smith and Justin Forsett and… well, you get the idea. Yes, his production in a limited role is amazing. But can he be ‘the guy’? How do his stats extrapolate to a full plate of carries? How much does D-Mac factor into his success? So why is Jones rated as a first rounder over the other players mentioned? Speed, it's as simple as that, Felix Jones has game breaking speed. Outside of McFadden, Felix Jones, Chris Johnson and Jamaal Charles are likely the fastest running backs in this 2008 NFL Draft. The NFL loves speed. But the big question is, will Jones be more than a Reggie Bush-type who is little more than a 3rd down back?
That’s quite a bit of questions about a prospect, even one with the raw talent of Jones.
The first things that jump out are Jones’ speed and open field moves. He sets up blocks nicely, showing excellent patience and vision with the burst to slash through arm tackles. His footwork seems natural and he never stops moving his feet, allowing him to always be in position to cut and dance his way through traffic. Once he hits daylight, Jones is gone. He has the potential to have a Devin Hester-like impact as a kick returner.
The offense at Arkansas was designed to get him and McFadden the ball in space and he tends to dance to often, turning 1-yard runs into 2-yard losses. He will have to improve his inside running to improve his game at the next level. His size is definitely an issue. He is very average in his height, weight and frame and it remains to be seen if he can handle more bulk. His pass blocking is suspect; he is very inexperienced in most aspects of the passing game, which limits his usefulness at the next level. What good is a third down back if he can’t catch and block?
If you look at Jones as more of an athlete than trying to pigeonhole him as a running back you have a 1st round pick as a kick returner and home run hitter. He may need to be put in a position to succeed, scheming to get him the ball in space and watch him work his magic. Asking him to take 250-275 carries and expect him to carry a runners workload may be asking too much, especially at this point. But as a kick returner and a pure athlete, Jones is 1st round material. Use him properly, don’t ask him to do too much and some team will be greatly rewarded. A true boom or bust prospect.