Wide receiver

North Carolina

6-3 230

Draft board overall prospect rank: #87

Draft board wide receiver rank: #16

Overall rating: 70 (3rd round)

40 time: 4.55

Games watched:  North Carolina/Louisville, Clemson/North Carolina, NC State/North Carolina, Virginia Tech/North Carolina

Positives

·         Great size (6-3 230)

·         2 years of strong production (62/946/4 85/1196/12)

·         Incredibly consistent (70+ yards in 12 of 13 games as a senior)

·         Produced on a weak passing offense

·         Physical and willing to run block

·         Tough to bring down in open field

·         Big strong hands

·         Catches the ball well in stride

·         Good 40 for his size (4.55)

·         End zone threat

·         Great athlete for his size

·         Uses his body well

Negatives

·         Got into some off the field trouble that temporarily made his ineligible for their Bowl Game this season

·         Struggles to get separation (especially at Senior Bowl)

·         Not as fast as his 40 would suggest

·         Looked out of shape at The Combine

·         Work ethic could use help

·         Poor explosion (1.62 10 yard dash)

·         Not fast off the line of scrimmage

·         Poor Combine performance

·         Has some problems with drops

NFL Comparison: Roy Williams

At one point, Dwight Jones was one of my more underrated prospects. I liked his size and consistency and his athleticism for his size. He had a great senior season on a mediocre passing offense, catching 85 balls for 1196 yards and 12 touchdowns with at least 72 yards in 12 of 13 games. He was super physical with great size.

However, it was all kind of downhill from him after the season. Once seen as a 2^nd round prospect, Jones has fallen into the 4^th round range at best. Character issues surfaced about problems with his coaches and an off the field incident which almost cost him eligibility in his team’s bowl game. He really struggled in the Senior Bowl. He was one of the highest rated prospects there coming in, but struggled to get separation all week in practice and in the game. There were rumors he was out of shape.

He didn’t help himself at The Combine. His 40 was fine, but his vertical (33 inch) and broad jump (9 foot 1), were underwhelming, as were his drills. He is an incredibly physical player with a ton of upside, but lethargy and drops are major problems with him. His lack of elite speed isn’t a huge problem because he can still be a #2 receiver and end zone threat, but I worry he won’t reach his full potential as a player.

I still have a 3^rd round grade on him and I’m higher on him than most are, but he does remind me a little too much of Roy Williams. His career could be similar, a few good years, before eventually declining while still young and ending up out of the league, where Williams could be after this season. However, if he reaches his full potential, he’s got the ability to like Roy Williams when he was at his best.