49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive tackle D.J. Jones
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise takes a look at San Francisco 49ers second-year defensive tackle D.J. Jones in our latest “Who Is?” installment for 2018, projecting his role this upcoming season.
The San Francisco 49ers made some noteworthy moves late in the 2017 NFL Draft, and one of those ended up being former Mississippi nose tackle D.J. Jones.
Selected in Round 6, No. 198 overall, Jones made appearances in nine games his rookie season. While he was primarily an interior backup behind the veteran, Earl Mitchell, Jones saw a respectable 147 snaps and logged eight tackles and one pass defended.
Heading into his second year, Jones could see a more prominent role as the Niners look to get younger and cheaper.
Mitchell is likely the favorite to land the starting job this season. But could a strong showing from Jones push him further towards the No. 1 spot on the depth chart?
If so, what will Jones need to do to improve in year two of his pro career?
Why D.J. Jones Improves in 2018
At 6-foot-0 and 321 pounds, Jones is the epitome of the nose tackle coordinator Robert Saleh envisions for his defense. Saleh prefers the short, stubby-like defenders to plug up the middle against the run in a 4-3 base scheme.
And this is where Jones thrived in college.
Jones’ Pro Football Focus marks from last season seem to reflect this. He posted a better run-stopping grade (53.5) than a pass-rushing mark (53.0), even though it’s negligible.
Where it does matter, however, is Jones’ work against the run was actually better than Mitchell, who owned a 41.8 run-defense PFF grade last season.
If Jones can hone the kind of collegiate efforts that netted him six sacks over his last two years at Mississippi, the more-rounded version could be in line to take over for Mitchell at some point in the near future.
Why He Regresses
According to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Jones doesn’t appear to have a starter’s motor and slacked off towards the end of his senior season. One of the points Zierlein also made is how Jones can easily get outworked by bigger, better interior blockers.
San Francisco 49ers
This could negate any hope Jones emerges as a decent interior pass-rushing threat. And another issue of over-pursuing ball carriers could keep his run-stopping prowess relatively low too.
While he’s shown the ability to be a key rotational piece along the defensive line’s interior, Jones has yet to prove he’s worthy of an everyday role. And if he can’t improve there, chances are pretty low he’ll end up being a starter down the line.
Projected Impact with the 49ers in 2018
With Mitchell signed through 2021, there’s no rush to see if Jones can cut it in a starter’s role this season. Especially considering cutting Mitchell would result in $4.1 million in dead money.
That number drops to $1.5 million while generating nearly $3 million in cap savings.
It’s likely not going to be a cap-related issue that determines whether or not Jones is the long-term replacement. But if San Francisco envisions the second-year pro as the guy to take over, the team will look closely at Jones’ efforts this upcoming season.
Based off last year, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Jones work his way into a more prominent role on base rushing downs. The NFL’s propensity for passing means Jones won’t have to see too many sub packages, which should keep him fresh. And it’s likely the Niners experiment with him a bit outside of his regular nose tackle role if possible.
If Jones can build on a promising rookie year, honing his talents and emerging as more than just a run-stopping defender, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see him eventually take over a starting gig in 2019.
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He’ll have to work a lot to get there, though.