Charlie Jones 2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile
Position: WR
School: Purdue
Class: Redshirt-Senior
Date of Birth: October 29, 1998
Height: 5-11 Weight: 175 lbs
Athletic Testing
40-Time: 4.43
Speed Score: 88.4
Vertical: 36.5”
Broad: 10’4”
Shuttle:
3-Cone:
Bio
Charlie Jones attended Deerfield High School in Illinois where he was a two-star recruit and received offers from Ball State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, North Dakota State, Western Michigan, and Wyoming. Jones opted for Buffalo where he redshirted his freshman season. When he finally got on the field, he didn’t make much of an impact. He caught just 18 passes for 395 yards and three scores during the 2018 season. Jones transferred to Iowa, where he once again had to redshirt. When he was able to play again in 2020, Jones was limited to mostly special teams work, catching no passes and accounting for just two rush attempts for 38 yards on offense.
While he actually got on the field in 2021, Jones’ production was minimal and he opted to transfer again. This time, Jones landed at Purdue where he was able to play immediately. Not only did he get on the field and not only did he actually have meaningful production, but Jones actually lit up the stat sheet in his one year with the Boilermakers. In 13 games, Jones caught 110 passes for 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned All-American honors and was named first-team All-Big Ten. With an NFL future now in his sights, Jones opted to sit out the Citrus Bowl in order to begin preparations for the pre-draft process.
While Jones’ career on offense was disappointing prior to his 2022 breakout season, he did make an impact on special teams. As a returner, he amassed more than 1,600 career yards with two touchdowns.
College Stats
Charlie Jones College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Special teams
+Good hands
+Strength
+Contested catches
+122 career kick/punt returns (2 TDs)
+46.2% receiving touchdown share
+8.5 receptions per game
Negatives
-Redshirted at Buffalo
-Only one year of production
-Struggles vs press/man coverage
-Struggles to create consistent separation
-Will turn 25 years old during his rookie season
-Age 23 breakout
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Possession
NFL Comp: Dede Westbrook
Yards Per-Formance Grade: 37.4 (60th-percentile)
Draft Projection: Fifth Round
Bottom Line:
Charlie Jones put himself on the radar with a breakout season in 2022 and an equally impressive performance at the NFL Combine. He has some appealing traits, like his strong hands, an ability to win in contested situations, and his knack for exploiting zone coverage. His strength is in the quick passing game on routes such as slants and crossers. With that said, Jones struggles to create consistent separation, especially versus tight man coverage.
His lone season of meaningful production in college came during his age 23 season and five years after first stepping onto a college campus. There’s really no excuse for not being able to produce sooner. It’s not like he was playing at Alabama or Ohio State where he was stuck behind world class wide receiver talent. He couldn’t get on the field at Buffalo. He couldn’t get on the field at Iowa. Jones’ NFL outlook is that of a career special teams ace who will provide depth at the wide receiver position. There is little reason to consider him in dynasty rookie drafts.
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
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