2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Emery Jones Jr.

Strengths:

• Angry Blocks: Jones consistently plays long with a nasty, finishing demeanor, constantly looking for work.
• Explosive and Powerful: He can effectively mirror rushers with good vertical and horizontal range. Jones is a good lateral athlete with powerful, explosive upper and lower halves.
• Flashes of Advanced Hand Technique: Jones's wicked-fast, powerful punch jolts defenders with flashes of working hands independently. Jones shows some savvy reps in pass protection, baiting rushers with his outside hand while preventing inside counters with his other hand.
• Ideal Frame: He boasts a solid anchor with a bendable, flexible frame that absorbs power easily
• Scheme Versatile Skillset: Capable of finding targets on the move and bringing some juice to the hit; Possesses footspeed to play in a horizontal run scheme and power to displace in a vertical run scheme.

Weaknesses:

• Unrefined Feet: Raw technique, with a bad habit of misjudging pass set depths and spacing, leading to poor attack angles. He also tends to lose his aiming point as a run blocker.
• Weight Fluctuation: It looks like he cut weight in 2024 and wasn't as powerful. Jones may not be able to stay at OT in the NFL without learning to play with better technique at a lighter weight.
• Weight Distribution: His sloppy footwork in pass protection and as a run blocker often puts him in the dirt. He is overaggressive, getting out over his skis too frequently as a run blocker and unbalanced in his pass drops.
• Patience is a Virtue: Jones lacks patience against speed rushers, being over-eager to jolt with his punch.
• Inconsistent Hands: Despite high-end flashes, Jones can be predictable with his outside hand in pass protection.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for Emery Jones Jr.:

Emery Jones Jr. will surely be one of the more polarizing prospects in the 2025 NFL draft. His athletic traits, size, length, and power profile will make offensive line coaches around the NFL drool. But his inconsistencies, lapses in awareness, and out-of-control weight distribution will make scouts shake their heads in disapproval. Coaches will say, "I can fix him," while others might question whether the negatives outweigh the positives.

When watching offensive linemen, I put a lot of value on a player's eagerness to throw themselves into contact and their competitive toughness at the point of attack. Those are two things that Jones has in spades. While I question whether his weight distribution issues can change, I think his upside is worth the risk in the mid-late 2nd round.

Given his fiery demeanor, athletic traits, and explosive power, Jones has the tools to be an immediate contributor at offensive guard. There might be some bumps along the way as he evens out his weight distribution issues, but putting him in a phone booth should help limit how often his feet get out of whack in space. If the goal is to play him at tackle, giving him developmental time on the bench would be best.

Jones would be a quality addition for the Bears if they add two veteran guards in free agency and have the luxury of bringing him along slowly. At only 20 years old, his upside is exceptionally high. He could serve as a swing interior lineman with the potential to play offensive tackle down the road. If the idea is to start him immediately at offensive guard, I think he is capable but will take some lumps along the way. However, his size, power, and athletic traits would surely fit Ben Johnson's offense.

Pro Comp: Tyler Smith