I haven’t completely thrown in the towel on my (pre-draft) RB4 of the rookie class, but I can admit that I have been wrong about Ronald Jones so far. To quote his coach Dirk Koetter, his preseason performance “wasn’t pretty.” At all. The former Trojan finished his four game preseason stretch with 22 yards on 28 CARRIES (0.8 yards per carry)! How the hell is that even possible? He wasn’t able to fall forward to gain a yard a few more times? Currently The Wolf’s 126th overall player (-20 vs ECR, -37 ADP), and falling, Jones is nothing more than a late-round flier who can be stashed at the end of your bench.
The Bucs’ offensive line won’t be confused with the healthy Cowboys’ line or even the Eagles’ terrific line, but for a player who possesses Jones’ elite explosion and home-run hitting ability, his longest carry of the preseason was a measly and pathetic FIVE YARDS. It’s mind-boggling.
“Again, when you have bad running plays, rarely is it one guy’s fault. Sometimes it is, but rarely. It’s a combination of things,” Koetter explained. “I know from Ronald’s standpoint, it’s not at all from lack of effort, or from him not knowing what he’s doing. Okay? So I know there’s been a little undercurrent out there about him not knowing the playbook and I want to make sure I’m real clear on that. That is not an issue.”
Koetter, like the rest of us, seemed baffled by Jones’ debut, “I saw it in practice. But we weren’t able to get it going during the game for whatever reason. I don’t have a good answer for you.”
But what’s even more baffling is Peyton Barber’s current ADP, which is 103 overall. Per usual, we are ahead of the curve, ranking him 20 spots higher and featuring him in our Draft Day Guide. Barber might not be the most talented back in the league, but he’ll get the job done when necessary.
