Broncos draft local prospect Sam Jones to bolster offensive line
The Denver Broncos drafted Arizona State offensive lineman Sam Jones with the 183rd overall pick to bolster their offensive line…
The Denver Broncos bolstered their offensive line in the 6th round of the 2018 NFL Draft, taking a local product in Sam Jones, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Jones has been training this offseason with Matt McChesney, a former Broncos offensive lineman, just a few blocks away from the team’s headquarters.
He left Arizona State as a redshirt junior due to a coaching change, but still started 23 games in college.
When you watch highlights of another Arizona State player, Kalen Ballage, you get a glimpse of what kind of player Jones is in the running game:
The Broncos didn’t make this pick so Jones could waste away, nor did they take this pick as a favor to their old pal McChesney. This is a young player with some developmental potential at the guard position, but needs to get some core strength and continue to work in that regard.
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Right now, Jones is a player with really good movement skills who is more of an investment for 2019 than 2018.
The Broncos did something similar with a player in Matt Paradis who was considered one of the best centers in the draft as far as his toughness and movement skills back in 2014, but he dropped because of a perceived lack of strength.
The Broncos put Paradis on the practice squad, developed him, and he was the center for their Super Bowl team in 2015.
By the way — he hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2015 season, or even a snap for that matter.
The Broncos may not have that high of expectations for Jones, but they certainly didn’t take him here for no reason. Typically the later rounds of the draft are reserved for guys you think your coaching staff can develop, or you feel can fill a niche need or special teams void.
Jones isn’t going to play teams. He’s not filling a niche need. He’s here to develop into a starter, and the Broncos will have to afford him that time.