Jones is a 2-time 2nd team All-Big Ten G who played with PJJ and MHJ at Ohio St.
The Arizona Cardinals added an intriguing prospect to their practice squad in Ohio St.’s 2-time All-Big Ten right guard Matthew Jones.
Jones signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent back in April and was waived during final cuts.
As the Buckeye’s starting right guard in 2022 and 2023, Matthew Jones, at 6-4, 316, gave up 8 QB hurries, 2 QB hits and 0 sacks combined.
Per NFLDraftBuzz.com
Matthew Jones Offensive Guard Ohio State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report (nfldraftbuzz.com)
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Has good footwork and technique. Balanced and agile pass protection set with excellent hand placement.
- Exhibits good patience in pass protection, sitting back in his set rather than leaning and lunging.
- He’s very good in the phone booth, firing off the line and playing with good leverage early in the down.
- Mauler in the run game, playing with a nasty disposition and showing excellent snap and punch quickness.
- Finds defenders with his hands immediately and gets feet moving to engage and sustain.
- Finishes and doesn’t quit; competitor with a positive attitude and leadership traits that coaches admire.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- While he’s solid as an athlete, he’s more comfortable moving forward as a run blocker than setting in pass protection, as Jones too often relies solely on his initial punch to stand up pass rushers instead of moving his feet.
- Had issues against quality counter moves, struggling to readjust. That’s something he’ll see frequently against NFL technicians in the pass rush.
- Lacks ideal movement skills in the run game. He’ll get to the second level, but he tends to lock on to a path toward his target and then struggles if he has to adjust.
Impressive video analysis:
From Brooklyn, New York (joining CB Elijah Jones from Harlem as a fellow NYC baller), Matthew Jones was a 4-star recruit who was ranked as the #2 C prospect coming out of Erasmus Hall High School and was hailed as the #2 highest ranked prospect in the state of New York.
In the pre-season, Jones played 113 snaps in 3 games at guard for the Dolphins and scored an overall PFF grade of 54.5. However, his 77.0 pass blacking grade was the highest of any of the Dolphins’ offensive linemen.
In summary, Matthew Jones has the size and strength to be an effective NFL blocker. What he needs is to refine his run and pass blocking techniques —- techniques that Cardinals’ OL coaches Klayton Adams and Chris Cook are pretty dang good at developing.
If these two weeks go well for the Buckeye, one would expect that the Cardinals will sign him to a Future’s deal during the off-season.