Meet WR Donald Jones
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 7, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
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As announced previously in this space, XFINITY from Comcast has generously agreed to support the best NFL community around -- us! As part of that effort, between now and the end of the 2010 NFL season XFINITY will be sponsoring a variety of special editorial and interactive features on our site.
Youngstown State's wide receiver Donald Jones is getting more than a little interest from NFL scouts ahead of the NFL Draft coming up in little more than two weeks. Several NFL Scouts showed up at Youngstown's Pro Day and the guy who stood out there as well as the NFL Combine in February was the 6'1" 214 pound wide receiver.
Thanks to his agent, Shawn from XAM Sports, we were able to get him to answer a few questions about himself and why he thinks the Baltimore Ravens would be smart to pick him up, as he is projected by NFL Draft Scout to be a 6th or 7th round selection. Click on the NFL Draft Scout link to see more about Jones, including his stats, honors and videos.
Check out his Q&A after the 'Jump.'
Q&A w/ Donald Jones (WR-Youngstown State)
- What skill set do you bring to your position that you feel would be the right fit for playing with the current players on the Ravens? I play hard all the time. I am a great blocking wide receiver. I’m a good route runner. I run with the ball in my hands.
- What do you see as your strongest asset that will help any team that drafts or signs you? I run well with the ball in my hands. I am a leader.
- What is the weakest part of your game that you feel needs to be groomed at the professional level? Improving on learning defenses.
- What player currently in the NFL would you honestly compare yourself to? Anquan Boldin
- Which player on the Ravens offense/defense (whichever you play) would you most look forward to playing with and why? Anquan Boldin because I love to watch him play and I would love to learn from him.
- Why should the Baltimore Ravens draft or sign you? I am a winner. I do what it takes to win.
NOTE: This is the first in a series of posts, sponsored by Comcast, which will cover the individual players that might be of interest to Baltimore Ravens fans, and hopefully the Ravens themselves.
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Wow
Very straight forward answer there. Maybe we draft him 6th round.
Matt Wieters Was Drafted 5th Overall Because The First 4 Teams Thought That Harnessing The Power Of Ten-thousand Suns Was Playing God.
me too
Matt Wieters Was Drafted 5th Overall Because The First 4 Teams Thought That Harnessing The Power Of Ten-thousand Suns Was Playing God.
by 17oriolesfan on Apr 7, 2010 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Will Ravens pick up another tall receiver? or Will Ravens use West Coast Offense?
Must be over 6ft. and Physical. Will the ravens use 3 and 4 wide out sets, I hope so.
See, guys like him
are out there in the later rounds. How many very good receivers have been found at the bottom of the heap? I say it matters who is throwing the ball more than who is catching it. This guy looks like the real deal, but then again so did Marcus Smith, based on college stats, which usually follow accurately into the pro game. But Smith couldn’t stay healthy, so we still haven’t found out.
aka 'Rexx'
Nice Q&A
I can share with you; that the Jaguars sent scouts to see him in games last year. He is it seems in couple of teams radar.
Life without knowledge is death in disguise
by Zoltan from Budapest on Apr 7, 2010 10:32 AM EDT reply actions
see..
this I like. I am a huge Ravens fan and the one thing that worries me moving into the 2010 season is our defense even though we had a strong showing at the end of last season. I think we should continue to keep our first two picks open for the best player available and hopefully they’ll be defensive players.. hopefully dbs….. hopefully kyle wilson… hopefully..
Group prayer
Lord, please let Kyle Wilson fall the bosom of your skies to the Ravens 25th pick.
Can I get an “Amen?”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 7, 2010 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Uh no I wouldn't!
If not an “amen,” then how about a long Little John, “Yeah-ah!”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 7, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Kyle Wilson or Brandon Graham are dreams that I would like to come true. Cody, Gresham, or McCourty are possibilities the Ravens could court them.
It's funny
For how dominant of a pass rusher Graham has shown everyone recently with his senior bowl performances, he gets little to no talk here. It might be because he is most likely going to play OLB in a 3-4, and we are pretty much set at that position. He is a beast though.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I’m guessing he’ll be long gone by our pick, so I’m not geting my hopes up for him. Him on the other side of Suggs in 2011 would of been sweet.
I doubt he would start over JJ, but I get what you are saying. He will most likely be gone by 20-21.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
You know, my thoughts have always been even more aggressive than the bpa strategy. I think you spend the first pick on the purest player you can find regardless of position. If he is not there then move on. Graham is. I have watched a ton of tape on the kid and he can fit in at DE or OLB. The fact is, just his relentless pressure is enough to make other people better around him. I don’t think he will be there by our pick at 25, but I would use whatever ammo I have to try to move up a few spots to see if we could get him. I never advocated for that before, but I think this kid is worth it. He is Freenyesque and that is freaky. There are plenty of guys in this draft with tremendous talent and some better than Graham (Morgan for example) but you can’t teach motor. That comes from within and he has it in double scoops. Get him with our staff and dietician and we can mold him to the position we want him to play.
If we end up with 7-8 picks come the first round somehow and Ozzie made a move up a few spots to get Graham, I would have no problem with it. Everyone talks about how we NEED a DE to get better pressure on the QB and increase our sacks, but in a 3-4 defense, it is the OLB who are the ones who are supposed to get a majority of the sacks.
Not saying I do not want to grab a guy like Odrick or Griffen in the first round, but Graham could possibly improve our pass rush a little more. People say he is too small to play DE, but they also said that about Dwight Freeney and that is the exact player I see in Graham when I watch him.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
But I think Freeney would have been a OLB in a 3-4. If Graham goes to a 4-3 team, I could see him becoming a Dwight Freeney like player. Speed, speed speed.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
ok i thought you meant as a raven.
cuz we don’t need another hybrid right now.
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
I was thinking the same thing. It’d take him a yea to become a better player than JJ. I’m not trying to knock JJ, just Graham looks like the next Woodley.
Yea for sure. But JJ is way too valuable to this defense to not have him on the field. Without JJ last year, this defense would have been in serious trouble. He is THAT good. We would just have to find a way to get Suggs, JJ and Graham on the field at the same time.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
True, thats what mad scientists are for ala defensive coordinators. Maybe Mattison has something up his sleeve that we haven’t seen yet? I am all for just getting the best crop of talent and temperament on the team and letting them figure out the best way to use him. Even if Graham never saw the field in 2010, his presence in camp and practice would push JJ to pro-bowl level for fear of losing his spot. I do agree though that without JJ’s run support and 6.5 sacks last year we would have been whooped pretty bad in some games.
I remember Ozzie saying he would “rather load up at one position with BPA instead of reaching on a need.” And I agree with that. I am sure Mattison has some great schemes that we have not seen yet.
The reason JJ does not get so much notoriety is because he was a 4th round pick……..converted DT…….and does not stand out in any one category. But the guy is always near the top of the list in tackles, 6.5 sacks is very serviceable, and those interceptions he had. He may not excel in one area, but he is a good, balanced player in every area.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
BPA is way over rated and very subjective
as it only means the best player available based on our board, which is geared toward our needs subjectively. As far as JJ, he might have been the Ravens MV Defensive Player last year and is a relatively unknown beast, even in Baltimore.
The guy who is fast rising up everyone’s draft board is Alabama CB Kareem Jackson, who most scouts says he has a non-stop motror and loves to hit. Sounds like “Plays Like a Raven” to me!
aka 'Rexx'
Yup, no knocks to JJ… but JJ was a DT converted to OLB. Every year he has gotten better but that is not his natural position. He is just a gifted athlete. I think because it isn’t his natural position he has a tendency to pick up a lot of nagging injuries that keep him from earning that unquestioned pro-bowl status (even though I think he gets snubbed). Graham is there now and is younger, bigger body mass (6’1 271) vs. JJ (6’4 265), and I have to say quicker with better balance. And the kid has smarts too… he plays the run better than most top 10 college draftees that I have seen in years. He doesn’t pursue like a rabid dog, it is contained aggression where his eyes always sees the field in front of him. Whoever gets this kid is going to be a very happy team. I will go on record as saying if he gets nabbed anywhere in the 20s he is the biggest steal of the draft.
JJ at 'Bama
only two time Captain of "Bama I believe and a natural leader on our defense after Ray is gone, along with Ed (if he’s still here) and Suggs.
aka 'Rexx'
Lol, funny part from a story about Ravens looking at Leigh Tiffin in the draft this year.
His longest was a 50-yard attempt in a 12-10 victory over the University of Tennessee, in which Tiffin accounted for all of the Tide’s scoring.
Plus, the nine career tackles Tiffin posted covering kickoffs definitely say this guy “plays like a Raven.”
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Oh my… did he really say “Play like a Raven…” this is getting out of hand. Congress should impose a new tax on the next Baltimore person to say the phrase. It might trim the deficit big time. What do you think Mr MaLoR… can we write our congressmen to get the bill on the floor?
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/News/Articles/2010/04/Ravens_Eye_Kickers.aspx
I am all for the bill. It is getting out of hand and becoming a very cheesy saying. I am tired of the “you got hearts of lions. men of integrity. plays like a Raven” stuff from Harbaugh and the others. It sounds like something a mother says to her children.
Again, I would really like to know if Frank Walker “played like a Raven” before coming here.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Who knows what Frank played like before coming to Baltimore but while he was here it was certainly not like a Raven. More like a junior college second teamer. “No harm or foul Frank… I still have love for ya… just not as our starting CB in 2010.” In all honesty, he might be better bulking up a bit and becoming a free safety. He doesn’t have the speed to cover WRs but he loves to lay the wood on run support and crossing patterns… just saying.
I agree
I would not mind Frank staying with us just because he knows our system and is a veteran, but what did Ozzie see in this guy to bring him in here 2 years ago? Just find the whole saying pretty funny.
Maybe one day it will spread to the front office, coaches and everything else.
Equipment Manager: “He equips like a Raven.”
Water boy: “He hydrates like a Raven.”
Accountant: “He taxes like a Raven.”
Janitor: “He cleans toilets like a Raven.”
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Would that mean Roberto Alomar plays like a Raven also?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Ouch…even I felt that one! Keep the gloves high and the cup strapped on BmoreBlitz, some Alomar fans might be gunning for ya.
i eat babies like a raven in the rain cuz i'm insane, mayne.
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Frank are twitter buddies. Can you imagine the amount of spit flying back and forth on those texts! Wow, fellow twitter followers would have to wash their hands after every tweet.
I......
shi* on puppies like a Raven :)
by Rayisyourdaddy on Apr 7, 2010 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions
He eats like a Raven
My comments aren't random, you just can't think as fast as me....
by Zachary Beard on Apr 7, 2010 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Good Link
I liked the article. But what jumped out for me was: Garrett Lindholm, Tarleton State. First, love the name of the college- sounds like the place where Urkel would go and second, HE MADE A 64-YARDER!!!!!!
I have only found two draft boards that even listed this guy, and they both listed him as the #1 kicker:
“Raider fans are lucky that Sebastian Janikowski is on the team; otherwise, Al Davis would consider Garrett Lindholm in the first round. Lindholm, who hit a 64-yard field goal in 2009, drilled 3-of-4 attempts from 60-plus at his Pro Day. Wow. " -from: http://walterfootball.com/draft2010K.php
He is only 5’8" also. How can someone that small boot a ball that far? Incredible. He must have had some serious wind that day.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I Don't Care
if he was kicking with an Enhanced Fujita-5 at his back -he made a 64 yarder, on natural grass at the end of a game! Sold!
Hmmmm… but the real question is what kind of shoes was he wearing… high tops, low tops or bare foot? Maybe he brings back the 70s with the bear foot kicks… you think that is the secret weapon for getting 64 yards on grass?
That just sounds sweaty and wet. Nasty… Maybe he gets Alomar to spit on them to keep the webbing from cracking.
You just know that Shayne Graham will be signed
We don’t need another rookie to leave the game on the line for this season. Go get Gano!
aka 'Rexx'
Much rather have Gano over Graham. I hate Graham’s face, his hair and that he was a Bungle. Gano has swagger and “plays like a Raven!!!”
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I thought they’d sign Rackers.
He really plays like a Raven on kickoff coverage. I’ve never seen a kicker make tackles like him.
Matt Katula snaps a ball like a Raven
My comments aren't random, you just can't think as fast as me....
by Zachary Beard on Apr 7, 2010 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions
If he keeps it up
not for long! Long snapper is the most unstable position on the team, as you are only as good as your most recent snap and while thye might have patience with other positions, not with LS. He better be healthy and improve or he is out of a job shortly. Hope he gets it together, as he is a great guy.
aka 'Rexx'
that's because
he golfs like a raven. And you can’t do that in golf.
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
Tony Franklin
Was a bare-footed kicker for the Eagles back in late ’70’s/early ’80’s that I think had the nickname “Christmas Toe” because his foot would turn red and green whenever he kicked on astro-turf due to the blood and the green fuzzies.
“Christmas Toe”… now there is a nickname to tell the kids when you start yapping about old football war stories. Wow, that just ain’t right! His teammates could have had mercy on him and given him a better nickname than that. It has too many funky connotations that can be taken completely the wrong way without the background story.
very impressive
that you know what an Enhanced Fujita-5 is… because I certainly have never heard of that before
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
Only if the kicker could run a 4.4 40 would he be in contention for a first rounder from Al. Come on, he does have standards you know. He doesn’t care about the whole 64 yrd FG, but if the kid has rock solid abs and can compete in the 4 × 200 meter dash then were cooking with gas.
Gano ran a 4.5 forty
and once caught Webb in Training Camp on a breakaway kickoff return!
aka 'Rexx'
Actually, looking at last year's kickers,...
…yes he did. Besides, he won the UFL Championship Game with a kick and so far has the ’skins job.
aka 'Rexx'
then he got cut like a raven.
or… like an ex-raven, actually
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
funniest shit
this is a quote from frank walkers wikipedia page:
Frank Bernard Walker (born August 6, 1981 in Tuskegee, Alabama) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tuskegee.
Walker has also played for the Green Bay Packers. He is also one of the worst cornerbacks in the leauge.
by Rayisyourdaddy on Apr 7, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
It also says…
He ruined games and made them lose because he doest know how to cover a WR. He should go back to high school and learn the basics. Wats up moody, it is now april 7 2010. i am showing you this in McGlenns class. Deric, Skins Suck.
This is a clear example of why you can believe everything on Wikipedia.
Itr says he plays or the Alabama Girl Scouts
My comments aren't random, you just can't think as fast as me....
by Zachary Beard on Apr 7, 2010 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
but wait man that's really true!
you really CAN believe everything on wikipedia!
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
Career
Career history
As player:
* New York Giants (2003–2006)
* Green Bay Packers (2007)
* Baltimore Ravens (Unfortuantly)
My comments aren't random, you just can't think as fast as me....
by Zachary Beard on Apr 7, 2010 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Screen Shot incase Wikipedia are dicks and remove it..
by Zachary Beard on Apr 7, 2010 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions
My comments aren't random, you just can't think as fast as me....
by Zachary Beard on Apr 7, 2010 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I am big on getting him too, but I just don’t think he hits our drafting board in the right spot. He has first round talent but 2nd round impact for 2010. He is absolutely a future stud when properly coached up in a year or two. But do you spend a first on him now??? Probably not. i would do a second, but he won’t be there at 57 and I think he might not make it out of the first round if the Jets have a crack at getting him.
He can contribute....
As a downfield threat right away, as some Stallworth insurance. In the future, he could also be the go-to endzone guy, like Vincent Jackson. His route running needs work for that to happen, but he could be an all around stud! I will have no problem with us drafting him, although I wonder if we can trade down 10 picks or so and still grab him…
As good as Demaryous is
he would not make a huge impact on our offense with Boldin here. At least not this year. Not enough to use a first rounder on in my opinion. Other wideouts with lesser known names butr similar skills will be available later, such as this Youngstown State kid or the one from Syracuse.
aka 'Rexx'
Similar Skills? That’s like saying Marcus Smith has similiar skills to Anquan Boldin.
Ozzie usually goes overboard when he tries to fix part of this team. Like he did with our defense when we couldn’t stop anybody in the late 90’s. I’m hoping he does the same thing with our WRs.
by BmoreBlitz on Apr 8, 2010 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Orioles 0-2 lets get the paper bags ready...
My comments aren't random, you just can't think as fast as me....
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