Connor Orr, of the Newark Star-Ledger, and NJ.com. interviewed Jarvis Jones this week, and the Georgia outside linebacker feels the Jets are very interested in him.
“From what I’ve been hearing they’ve been high on me and hopefully, if I’m available at that time they’ll pull the trigger,” Jones told Orr. “I’ve been hearing a lot of Jets talk.
“Coach Rex was out there, he worked me out on the change of direction drills. Cool guy, man. He loves football, knows a lot of football. I asked him about the game and he loves defensive players who make plays.
“Teams wanted to see me in coverage a lot. So (Rex) wanted to see me move, stop, backpedal, all the stuff like that, turn and run.
“It was a great experience, I was talking to him about different football techniques. The times we spent, I did learn something from him and the most important thing was him telling me some of the things I needed to work on and just to stay positive.”
Jones is probably the best pass rusher in the draft. He had 28 sacks over the last two years, playing in perhaps the best conference in the country (SEC).
But there are two concerns about him.
First off, he he has Spinal Stenosis (abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal). He transferred to Georgia from USC, because the Trojans’ medical staff wouldn’t clear him to play, once the condition was discovered.
Secondly, he ran a 4.9 forty at his Pro Day in March, not very good for a 3-4 outside linebacker.
“I think a 4.9 is a red flag,” said the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said. “I talked to a lot of coaches and scouts and they all said the same thing: ‘Wow. A lot slower than we expected.’”
But it’s hard to argue with his production the last two years.
Jones has a knack for getting to the quarterback.
And the Jets need a guy with that “knack” very badly.
