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 NCAA Scouting – Player Profile:
Felix Jones, RB
by Sam Monson
28/2/2008
2008 is a stellar year for running backs. If your team has a need of some rushing help, the draft is the place for you in 2008. The class of running backs declaring for the draft this year also might be the fastest group on record. The Combine this year was more of a track meet than anything to do with football, with several of the top running back prospects being recognized sprinters.
 Felix Jones is the lightning to Darren McFadden’s lightning, and his 7.66 yards per carry average over his career would be an NCAA record but for an Army player by the name of Glenn Davis who played in the early 1940s. Since Davis, only two other players have averaged over 7 yards per carry over their college careers, and Felix Jones has an average that beats either.
At Booker T. Washington High School, Jones was named the Tulsa World Player of the Year following his senior season. I’m a little confused myself how one can be a ‘Tulsa World Player of the Year’, but with the statistics he put up (2,282 yards and 48 touchdowns on 205 carries [11.1-yard average]), they might just have a point. When he was recruited he was ranked by Rivals.com as the 19th best athlete in the nation, and the 4th best player in the state of Oklahoma.
Jones elected to attend Arkansas, and set about putting up some eye popping numbers there too.
What we like about Jones
Jones didn’t run as fast as some thought he would at the combine (4.47). Whilst that time is still fast, it didn’t put him in the elite echelon of speedsters that he was expected to be a member of. When the running backs began their drills though, Jones put on a show. Timed speed may not be Jones’ strong suit, but when he’s already moving his burst and agility are second to none. When moving with the ball in his hands Jones shows tremendous agility and ability to change direction and cut quickly and without losing speed.
 Jones is one of the shiftiest backs in this draft, and will ply his trade by making defenders miss, and weaving his way through traffic. Football for a running back is rarely about running in a straight line, and Jones has elite football speed.
Question marks about Jones
Some scouts have questions about his strength and toughness. He’s likely to only ever be a situational rusher in the NFL, but with the move towards dual-back systems, that’s not the handicap it once was. Jones bench pressed only 8 reps at the combine, and that highlights his lack of strength. The game tape also shows that he will tend to stop dead in his tracks as soon as he hits substantial contact, much like McFadden. In 2007 he was stopped by the first defender on 111 of his 133 attempts. He will need to improve his functional strength and leverage at the next level.
Highlight of his college career
 On November the 23rd, the Arkansas Razorbacks finally beat LSU in Baton Rouge, in triple over time by a score of 50-48. Jones rushed 9 times for 89 yards in the game.
Other snippets
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Reggie Bush ended his college career with an average yard per carry average of 7.32. Felix Jones’ average is 7.66.
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Jones’ favourite NFL player was one Barry Sanders, so he knows a player when he sees one.
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Players Jones closely compares to are Jerious Norwood, DeAngelo Williams.
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Potential good fits: Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins (in the 2nd)
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