The Texas Longhorns have a handful of representatives at the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama ahead of the NFL Draft and on Tuesday there was one Longhorn in particular that was standing out.
Offensive tackle Christian Jones, who may have been the biggest beneficiary of Steve Sarkisian's hire, was dominant during Tuesday's practice, according to ESPN analyst Jordan Reid.
Jones was highlighted amongst other stars such as possible CB1 Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo, and wide receiver Ladd McConkey (Georgia) and Ricky Pearsall (Florida).
Reid reported that thanks to Jones' strong showing during the one-on-one portion, He is ascending up draft boards and may solidify himself as a third-round pick.
"I picked out guys I expected to rise over the next few months heading into the Senior Bowl, and Texas offensive tackle Christian Jones was one of them," wrote Reid. "He certainly helped himself during the first day of practice in Mobile, showing plenty of strength against defensive linemen in one-on-one sessions."
Jones has taken major strides during his career at Texas, as he went from starting out of necessity to emerging as a key player across the offensive line for Texas.
In fact, in the 2020-2021 seasons, Jones' overall grade was an average of 60.9. That number skyrocketed over the past couple of years, rising to 72.9.
"Jones was able to cancel out pass-rushers quickly, much like he did all season; he allowed six pressures and one sack over 482 pass-blocking snaps in 2023," Reid said. "He has unique size at 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds with 34 7/8-inch arms, and while he has been projected as a late-Day 2 to early-Day 3 pick, Jones is trending toward third-round status."
If he is able to continue to dominate against some of the best prospects at the event, his draft position will only solidify itself.
Joining Jones in Mobile is receiver Jordan Whittington, defensive lineman Byron Murphy II, defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat, and linebacker Jaylan Ford. The game takes place on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
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