UDFA, Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina

[76Texan]

Just finished the UNC-NC St. game.
It was one of those non-descript 9 catches 72 yards game (including one when the D was in porevent defense at the end of the half and was willing to give him some 13 yards before time expired.)
Either DJ ran a dig route a few yards from the LOS or some quick slant into the zone; there's no in or out of the break movement to watch.
DJ was never even covered by the Wolfpacks' best CB Amerson (watch out for this ball hawk next year).

[GP]

UDFAs are just risks in either (a) talent or (b) character.

They went undrafted because they possess one of those attributes. And "yeah," obviously there's more players available than can be drafted...so it's obvious that not every player can be drafted.

What's happened is that the guys who become UDFAs have talent issues--a bad pro day or skimpy numbers at the combine--or they have checkered pasts that make their talent less sexy in the overall picture of team harmony that's at a premium in every locker room.

Dwight Jones has had VERY unflattering things said about him by an NFL scout who calls him a lazy, entitled turd. That's strong language. He only viewed UNC as his vehicle to the NFL. And even then, he wasn't smart enough to play by the rules UNC set forth for its athletes (every college covers its ass to avoid penalties by the NCAA).

I think this topic has been beaten to death. He either WILL translate into a utilized NFL WR or he won't. Until then, we have an UDFA who is like all the other UDFAs around him...a guy trying to overcome deficiencies and make the team. Great players overcome.

[GuerillaBlack]

Originally Posted by GP

UDFAs are just risks in either (a) talent or (b) character.

They went undrafted because they possess one of those attributes. And "yeah," obviously there's more players available than can be drafted...so it's obvious that not every player can be drafted.

What's happened is that the guys who become UDFAs have talent issues--a bad pro day or skimpy numbers at the combine--or they have checkered pasts that make their talent less sexy in the overall picture of team harmony that's at a premium in every locker room.

Dwight Jones has had VERY unflattering things said about him by an NFL scout who calls him a lazy, entitled turd. That's strong language. He only viewed UNC as his vehicle to the NFL. And even then, he wasn't smart enough to play by the rules UNC set forth for its athletes (every college covers its ass to avoid penalties by the NCAA).

I think this topic has been beaten to death. He either WILL translate into a utilized NFL WR or he won't. Until then, we have an UDFA who is like all the other UDFAs around him...a guy trying to overcome deficiencies and make the team. Great players overcome.

He did wait until after the season though. UNC didn't like that he out smarted them that way, so they got him back by banning him from the Pro Day. It wasn't a series of different events either. This is all we got on him. Haven't heard anything about him being a locker room trouble or anything.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Playoffs

Dwight Jones cutups for your perusal:

vs Virginia Tech 2011 [vs. 2012 3rd Rounder Jayron Hosley] -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F01xFUaKKqA

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Hosley is 5'10, 178 lbs, 30-7/8 arm.

Finally, one "real" route in the VTech game.
But why did he made the cut at 12 yards on a deep-in instead the normal 10?

Probably caught the CB Hosley off-guard on that route.

Safety played run and was late getting over.

Also, notice the pass break-ups due to rudimentary routes by DJ.
Expect this to happen at the next level.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Lucky

It was a mixed bag. Jones showed some of his skills such as leaping ability and run after catch. That interception/fumble was a great play by the defender...and possibly a penalty in the NFL for hitting a defenseless player.

The fumble/int wasn't good on his part.
He din't catch the ball cleanly.
He could have had both hands on the ball, but he didn't.
The ball was craddled between his left hand and his upper arm.
Another way that he can help himself, IMO, is to run his route a little more to the inside so he can turn around and catch the ball (somewhat as a fade); that way he can use his body to shield off the safety.

He ran a couple of pretty good fade routes in the game, but again, IMO, he had the opportunity to crouch the DB a little further to the inside (be more physical) to give himslef and the QB more room near the side line.

It's not that I look to find fault, but I want to find out the possible reason(s) why he wasn't drafted.

In the Clemson game, for example, he was "outmuscled by the DB near the goal-line. This DB, in turn, was in position to make the INT.
DJ should have been where the CB was on the field, but he got "beat to the punch" (using John Madden's term).

http://<br /> http://scores.espn.go...12950228<br />

[TejasTom]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Just finished the UNC-NC St. game...

Great work as always. I really appreciate your insight.

Have you seen enough to draw a conclusion?

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by TejasTom

Great work as always. I really appreciate your insight.

Have you seen enough to draw a conclusion?

Not quite (I've watched 7 so far); I might have to pull up some 2010 tapes to see the things he did well with Yates.


Maybe the Fl St game where he had a career high 233 yards, and one or two more.

He has the tools; just need to work on improving his route running and his positioning just like most young receivers.

[GP]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Finally, one "real" route in the VTech game.
But why did he made the cut at 12 yards on a deep-in instead the normal 10?

Originally Posted by 76Texan

The fumble/int wasn't good on his part.
He din't catch the ball cleanly.
He could have had both hands on the ball, but he didn't.
The ball was craddled between his left hand and his upper arm....

--excerpt snip--

It's not that I look to find fault, but I want to find out the possible reason(s) why he wasn't drafted...

--excerpt snip--

http://<br /> http://scores.espn.go....12950228<br />

Originally Posted by TejasTom

Great work as always. I really appreciate your insight.

Have you seen enough to draw a conclusion?

I know 76 says he doesn't have a conclusion, but my personal early conclusion is that Dwight Jones would have been drafted by the Texans several years ago in the 3rd round. And his name would have been Jacoby Jones. That rundown by 76 looks a lot like old #12 to me.

The difference is that we're done taking "gamble picks" like we did on the Jacoby Jones pick several years ago. This time around, Kubiak took a solid route runner in DeVier Posey and took an UDFA flier on Dwight Jones.

Kubiak learned his lesson.

That's what it "looks" like to me at the moment.

[TejasTom]

Originally Posted by GP

...
That's what it "looks" like to me at the moment.

I hope you are right.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by GP

I know 76 says he doesn't have a conclusion, but my personal early conclusion is that Dwight Jones would have been drafted by the Texans several years ago in the 3rd round. And his name would have been Jacoby Jones. That rundown by 76 looks a lot like old #12 to me.

The difference is that we're done taking "gamble picks" like we did on the Jacoby Jones pick several years ago. This time around, Kubiak took a solid route runner in DeVier Posey and took an UDFA flier on Dwight Jones.

Kubiak learned his lesson.

That's what it "looks" like to me at the moment.

for me a Jacoby that could hold onto ball and make good decisions would be a starter.

[GP]

I want to clarify that what I meant is that Dwight Jones wasn't drafted by the Texans for perhaps the same reasons we shouldn't have drafted Jacoby Jones.

Questionable hands.

Questionable decision making (albeit in different ways from one another).

Risk vs. Reward ratio.

This time around, Kubiak decided that his project players would be UDFAs instead of draft picks. Gary is quick to be loyal and slow to break loyalty, but once he does...he's done with it for good. If you get a shot on Kubiak's team, you can be here a long time but you have roughly a four-year term (just like a POTUS) to prove yourself.

[76Texan]

Raw review of DJ's career game against Fla. St. in 2010

Against Fla. St., DJ had a career day catching 8 passes for 233 yards.

It was due to a combination of things:

- A good offensive game plan by UNC, taking advantage of an overtly aggressive Seminoles defense.

- A good QB - Yates - who sold it well and made it easier for the receiver.

- A receiver having a hot day, doing everything right (almost).

[76Texan]

1. To start off the game, Yates connected with DJ on a slant and go along the left side line for 38 yards off play-action fake out of 221 personnel (standard power I formation).

DJ lined up just inside the numbers; the CB played inside leverage (single safety deep).

The Noles first showed cover 2 but quickly brought the SS down to play the run while the FS scooted to the middle.

With the RCB playing inside leverage; it looks like he's expected to play man without a safety over the top on any outside route.

DJ took 3 hard steps to the inside (showing a slant route);
Yates took the snap and faked a quick pump (selling the slant).
These two actions combined to lured the RCB further to the inside (ha already had inside leverage).

Yates then turned around and performed an excellent faked hand-off with arm extended well away from his body and deep into the gut of the RB.

This froze the CB another fraction of the second; he was a bit too eager to support the run.

As DJ made the move back to the outside, the CB had already opened his hips in the wrong direction and couldn't recover.


The single deep safety was also frozen by the play-action fake (as he saw all 8 men in the box charging - they all bought the PA).

The result was an easy 38-yd catch for DJ.
He did his job well, but he was helped greatly by the scheme and his QB who executed the plan very well.

In another word, Yates (and the scheme) made the receiver look better.

Not to forget that the receiver also carried out his assignment very well.

[76Texan]

2. Late in the first quarter, Yates connected with DJ again; this time on a simple streak route along the right hashmarks.

On third and 9, The Tar Heels were in 4-wide spread;
2 outside deep routes and 2 intermediate/short crossing routes.

The Noles rushed 5 and were supposed to play 1/4 deep with 2 LBs in the intermediate zone.

One of the safeties erroneously played a shallower route (instead of getting depth to cover his inside 1/4);
one of the LBs failed to attain his proper depth, starting the whole chain of reaction.

DJ did well on this play as he worked to widen the LCB (the same guy who gave up the previous pass);
Jones made the job easier for himself by obtaining a better angle at the ball.

Sometimes ago, I mentioned how Stephen Hill dropped a ball on the same route because he failed to do this.
(When you have to do a Linda Blair to look back at the QB then snap your head right back to catch an overhead throw, it doesn't help your hand-eye coordination.)


Yates, in turn, dropped a perfect pass right into the basket - just the right arch and the right velocity.

The cactch resulted in a 67-yd TD for DJ.

[76Texan]

Note: the CB is Greg Reid.

He was listed at 5'8 and 175 lbs in his Sophomore year .

(I read he had gained some 10 lbs or so since then.
A Seminole fan here might be ale to give us more info regarding him).

Reid has pretty good speed (4.45-4.46 thereabout), quickness and shiftiness.

He's a good punt and kick returner at FSU.

He will probably get drafted next year due to his return skills.

He might also be useful as a nickel or dime back at the next level as he's also aggressive and physical like McCain.

[76Texan]

Basically, DJ played well; however he was aided by several factors that added up to make him look better than he really was - not to take anything away from him.

There were a couple of questionable moments even in that career game, but I won't try pick it apart as it was in 2010.

Instead, I'm going back to 2011.

[76Texan]

I'm bringing back a play by Devier Posey to illustrate the difference between their route running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEkBl91EJsk

At the 3:00-min mark, you will find a deep ball against Marshall in 2010.

Posey is at the top of the screen as the wide out, with a slot receiver to his inside.

This is another version of the 2-receiver route that "aims" to play the middle deep safety (but Pryor failed to execute it properly).

Posey ran a deep route (skinny post with the option to adjust it to a post route) while the slot receiver ran a crossing route underneath.
If the safety jumps the underneath route, the QB goes deep.
If the safety stays over the top to take away the deep route, the QB hits the crosser.

The job of the QB is to manipulate this middle safety (Marshall would play cover 3).
If he has time (which Pryor did), he could try a pump fake or simply wait for the routes to develop a little longer such that the safety has to commit.
The longer he waits, the further the two receivers seperate from each other.

Actually, there's another receiver who took away the LCB (who was in cover 3); I just omit him for the sake of simplicity.

Now, on to Posey's route running.
He lined up between the numbers and the hashmarks (closer to the hashmarks).
He widened the RCB to the outside (to the numbers) to give him the room to run a skinny post.
Pryor, however, threw to ball too close to the inside (as a post route) that forced Posey to adjust.
A skinny post would have created more distance for the safety to cover.

As Pryor's execution was poor, Posey can only play defender to break up the pass since the safety was in a better position to catch the ball (due to poor ball placement and timing, the ball was also closer to the safety than the receiver).

I'll get to Dwight Jones in the next post; you will see the difference:
Posey ran the route much better.

[76Texan]

This is DJ against James Madison:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/video?gameId=312460153

It was a different situation and it's true that DJ was going against more of a pure double coverage.

James Madison showed cover 2, but brought the RCB in on a run blitz against play action (with a built-in reverse).

Here, the QB didn't do a very good job of selling the play-fake; a better option for him would be to the check down to the FB.

It looks like DJ was trying to run a slant-and-go, but the free safety didn't buy neither the run fake nor the reverse.
Nonetheless, Jones would have done better if he tried to forced it on the FS, pushing him a little more to the outside.
That way, the QB can throw the ball to him at a shorter distance, perhaps at 17-22 yards or so.

Instead, he took his route just a little bit too much to the inside, and ended up running right into double coverage (toward the SS) - perhaps unintentionally.

It's true that the QB was pressured and didn't have good placement on the ball and forced Jones to adjust.
But notice that the QB was also looking at DJ and the FS to read the situation before he threw the pass; he was following Jones' move as early as some 8 yards off the LOS.

Let's say it wasn't poor route running; at the end of the day, Jones was in the same position as Posey, but Jones didn't play defender as the SS picked off the ball.
And that was the most important thing.

[76Texan]

Against Rutgers this year, there was this fumble:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/video?gameId=312530153

[76Texan]

Against Virginia, Jones caught a TD on a fade route:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/video?gameId=312600153

True that there was hand-fighting going on there, but I would have like for Jones to work to push the CB a little to the inside to give the QB more room along the side line; after all he has the size advantage.

He ended up catch the ball with one foot inbound.

This was a great play in college, but it will be an incompletion at the next level.
(Even though defensive holding might have been called).