2018 NFL Draft: USC RB Ronald Jones II scouting report

Ronald Jones II may be the most electric USC Trojan declared for the 2018 NFL Draft that is not named Sam Darnold.

Sam Darnold is the USC Trojan receiving the most buzz heading into the 2018 NFL Draft. Although Darnold may be a franchise quarterback in the making, that should not cause teams from overlooking electric running back Ronald Jones II.

Jones declared for the 2018 NFL Draft, following his quarterback into the NFL after three seasons with the USC Trojans. Although Jones is not within the top tier of a deep running back class heading into the draft, he could be the sneaky good selection that we are talking about come December. Yes, I’m looking at you, Alvin Kamara.

Kamara and Jones are entirely two different players, although, Jones capitalized on a great passing game to tear it up for USC last season. Jones carried the ball 261 times for 1550 yards and 19 touchdowns; averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Overall, Jones was eighth in all of college football in rushing yards and was just one of 10 players to eclipse the 1500-yard mark. Jones’ 19 touchdowns were enough for the fifth most in college football as well.

Standing in at six feet even, Jones is a suitable size for an NFL running back. However, ESPN has Jones at only 200 pounds, which is slightly under the league average for backs. However, Jones has shown the ability to run the ball in a hard-nosed manner when need be. That may begin to tear him up, though, with an NFL-like workload.

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Jones has surprisingly good speed and great acceleration that allows him to kick it into gear by the time he hits the line of scrimmage. Once he is there, Jones has the ability to find holes and make elusive cuts to make holes that are not present. Has the ability to make defenders miss when need be.

Despite his 40-yard dash time not being incredible (projected at 4.55), Jones has another motor once he enters the open field. Once he is passed defenders, it is going to be hard to keep up with him. Walter Football ranks Jones as the ninth-best running back in the draft.

Overall, Jones is going to need to put on muscle in the NFL and in today’s NFL must adjust to being a passing back. At USC he did not show much of that; in the NFL, you sink without a presence in the passing game. He is a great runner and playmaker that may not land him in any starting units but will get him a lot of reps his rookie year.

Next: Deontay Burnett scouting report

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