LSU OT Emery Jones Jr. 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Emery Jones, offensive tackle, LSU

Height: 6'6
Weight: 322

Strengths:

• Use of Hands: I'm a huge fan of how Jones mixes up his strikes in pass protection, and he does a good job of knocking down and stopping a wide variety of moves that opposing pass rushers use against him. He demonstrates good placement with his hands in every facet of the game, which more often than not lets him win a rep. 

• Play Strength: When Jones gets his hands on opposing defenders, it's game over for almost everyone he faces. He generates easy movement at the point of attack in the run game and will finish defenders to the ground routinely. In pass protection, he's quick to anchor and can shut down bull rushers with ease. 

• Length: Unlike his teammate Will Campbell, Jones has the length to stick at tackle. While we don't have an official measurement, it wouldn't shock me to see Jones have one of the longer arms in this draft class. 

Weaknesses:

• Footwork: Far too often, Jones struggled with his footwork out of his sets. He often gets his feet crossed and it limits his ability to hit his landmarks outside in pass protection. This can be mitigated, but against NFL speed it could become a liability for him early. 

• Balance: Jones takes the bait far too often against some of the savvier rushers he played against. He gets set up and lunges often and doesn't have the athleticism to recover from being out of position. 

• Athleticism: I don't think Emery Jones is a bad athlete, but I'm not sure if he has the requisite athleticism to stick at tackle with his play style. He has struggled against speed throughout the season, and he doesn't have the change of direction ability to overcome his too-aggressive playstyle. 

Player Evaluation:

Jones is a tricky evaluation, whose flashes are marred by inconsistency. He's one of the top maulers in this draft class and his demeanor will appeal to offensive line coaches. His length, use of hands, and play strength give him a strong foundation, but can his issues be ironed out to stick at tackle, or is he better off inside at guard?

If he gets stacked against the other guards in this class by evaluators, does that harm his draft stock? If you want a pure mauling guard, I'd argue that other guards are equal or maybe even better and will be drafted around the same range. 

Player Comparison:

Teven Jenkins (Chicago Bears)

The size and power profile that both Jenkins and Jones play with led me right to this comp. Both are capable of delivering some jarring hits on film and opening up rushing lanes with ease. Yet both suffer from some balance issues and have some slight issues one-on-one in pass protection. Jenkins was a college tackle whose move inside mitigated some of his issues against speed that he struggled with in college. 

A to Z Rankings: #25 overall, #3 offensive tackle

A to Z Draft Grade: 8.65

Draft Projection: Late First-Round