2013 Recruiting: Da'Mario Jones

Previously: CB Reon Dawson, CB Channing Stribling, S Delano Hill, S Dymonte Thomas, CB Ross Douglas, CB Jourdan Lewis, LB Ben Gedeon, LB Mike McCray, DE Taco Charlton,DT Maurice Hurst Jr., DT Henry Poggi, OL Patrick Kugler, OL David Dawson, OLLogan Tuley-Tillman, OL Kyle Bosch, OL Chris Fox, OL Dan Samuelson, TE Jake Butt, TE Khalid Hill, HB Wyatt Shallman

This used to happen quite a bit, but with the continuing expansion of recruiting coverage and Brady Hoke's chops on the trail not so much lately: there's not all that much out there on Da'Mario Jones. A Central Michigan commitment most of last year, Jones played on a team that only threw rarely…

Jones’ recruiting profile has been kept under the radar by his role in Glenn’s run-heavy offense, in which he’s used as a blocker and ball carrier more than a pass-catcher. He’s currently unranked by Rivals.com, despite good speed and displaying a knack for getting open in summer camp experiences.

…and got most of his reps as a runner. He did not pop up on a lot of radars. I mean:

Jones played wide receiver - where he was targeted on just one downfield pass, a fade route that was thrown well out of bounds - and running back, where he notched 35 yards on 8 carries, including a touchdown.

Compounding matters, when Ace suggested he should go scout the kid I said "naw, man, Treadwell's coming," which we can all laugh about now but remains a bit of a facepalm from yours truly.

What is out there suggests that Jones is a slot-ish guy in the Breaston mold (ie, tallish), albeit without the ludicrous film of going to work. ESPN makes him sound like a poor man's version of our favorite punt returner:

He may not be a great speed guy, but is fast enough. Has a good solid frame to work with, needs to add strength, but possesses very good measurables. Shows adequate-to-good speed on tape. Has good height and arm length. Long strider that has good, but not great quickness and is pretty high cut. Has some ability to stop and start, but lacks elite explosion. … Will need to add some more mass to hold up at the next level. Can be inconsistent as a catcher, shows ability to snatch the ball out of the air, away from his body, but also is a body catcher. … high cut build limits fluidity and lateral agility. Good, but not great with the ball in his hands.

Scout's profile makes him sound like someone else entirely, though: 

Scout.com Player Evaluation:

STRENGTHS

Body Control

Elusiveness with Catch

Hands and Concentration

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Route-Running Skills

Very good athlete who uses his tools to go up and make acrobatic catches. Has good body control, leaping ability, and good hands. He has good ability after the catch and open field skills which he has shown as a return man, running back, and a receiver. He just needs a little polish as a route runner, but he has a lot of the other tools you look for in a receiver. - Allen Trieu

This reads like a repurposed Moe Ways scouting report. Scout was by far the most enthused about Jones, FWIW, as they apparently caught a game of his in which he was actually targeted quite a bit. Jamie Newberg:

He's 6-foot-2, 195-pounds and has speed, elusiveness and great ball skills. The weather and the fact that Glenn jumped out to a huge lead limited his touches, but he scored on his first two touches, a long touchdown run where he lined up at tailback and took a pitch and the second on a 36-yard pass. He later had a jump ball in the end zone where he was ruled out, but outjumped the defender and came down with the ball. He has the physical tools you want, and I like what he can do in the open field in addition to what he does when the ball is in the air.

Touch The Banner sees him working underneath and maybe not being too good at snatching stuff out of the air:

He's capable of getting separation from defensive backs, shows good footwork and route running, and has enough suddenness to set up double moves.  He's not a shake-and-bake type, but he does show a knack for making a cut upfield after running laterally.  Crossing routes should be an asset where he can catch the ball over the middle, look for a seam, and then gain extra yards.  He also doesn't shy away from contact, so he should turn into a plus blocker and gain yards that some receivers won't.

Notice that I said he "could be" an asset in the red zone - Jones isn't the most natural pass catcher, and he needs to work on snatching the ball out of the air.  You can see in his film that when the ball is above his shoulders, he struggles to catch the ball cleanly.   … Jones also shows good speed, but he won't blow the lid off a defense.

Yes, this is basically the opposite of the previous report. Low sample size. That's two votes for a Breaston-like slasher, so we'll go with that.

Jones's potentially fake 40 times do suggest he's a guy who has speed…

Jones has been clocked at a 10.9 in the 100, and ran a 4.47 in the 40 at Michigan State’s camp and a 4.50 at Ohio State’s camp.

…and I lend those a little credence since he ran a 4.61 as a rising sophomore at the National Underclassmen Combine, which was the fourth-best time at a very large event.

How about some intangible bits to make you feel better? Jones did have a number of other schools sniffing around. Early they were mostly middleweights…

The 6-2, 195-pounder out of Westland (Mich.) John Glenn verbally committed to Central Michigan back in July, but is seeing more and more interest from BCS schools on a daily basis. Schools such as Michigan, Iowa, Pitt, TCU, UCLA, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Indiana have all reached out, and it may be only a matter of time before some of them extend offers.

…but he got a flurry of interest right before signing day, reportedly landing offers from UCLA, MSU, and Georgia(!) and entertaining interest from FSU(!) and Alabama(?!?). Due to the nature of recruiting these days—"uncommitable" offers and all that—it's impossible to judge just how interested any of these schools were, but Georgia plays things on the up and up. An actual offer from Richt is a positive marker.

Jones also fits The Pattern. His coach:

"You know, you hear these clichés all the time, but it is the absolute truth that he is an outstanding young man. After every game, he comes up and shakes the coaches hands, he's a great student, teachers like him. He's a great leader in our school. He does everything right."

This is not quite an "I'd let him date my daughter" quote, but I assume that's because his coach only has sons.

Etc.:Played Pop Warner with Charlton and Butt. Ohio State fans LOLing at his flip are so cute. Jones on Jones:

"I'm a versatile receiver, and I'm not just the speedster guy," he said. "I like to be physical, I get off the line, I get off the press. I try to run clean, crisp routes, and make sure the defenders can't guard me. Once I run my route, I figure I have good enough speed to catch the ball and take it to the next level."

Why a poor man's Steve Breaston? A wiry guy around 6'1", Breaston was a high school quarterback who went to work but needed time to add weight and learn the position. Once he did that he was an excellent slot option, though he never mastered the ability to make a downfield catch until he hit the NFL.

Jones has a similar high-cut build and long-striding running style, has similar issues with inexperience since his team barely threw, and promises to be a quick-ish slot option. He is not Steve Breaston, though. Breaston was a top 100 player; Jones a generic three-star.

Guru Reliability: Low. There is very little information on him for a lot of reasons.

Variance: High. Bust potential is obvious, but late offers hint at great promise.

Ceiling: Moderate. Sounds like he will top out as a nice #2 or #3 option.

General Excitement Level: Moderate-minus. Has some upside, but has a long way to go and could get lost in the shuffle.

Projection: One of the three receivers this year will play. Who will be determined by fall camp. Jones seems to be the internet's tentative favorite, but the other two guys likely bring more blocking.

Down the road, receiving opportunities open up next year with the departure of Gallon, Dileo, and Jackson. The competition steps up significantly with the addition of Drake Harris and Moe Ways, however, and Jones is going to have to find himself a role as a slot receiver or get sparing snaps since it seems like Michigan hit on both of last year's recruits. Meanwhile, the role of the slot receiver in an Al Borges offense with a fully-stocked hybrid TE mini-fridge is unknown.

Jones looks like he'll have maybe a dozen catches a year unless one of Darboh and or Chesson doesn't work out, in which case he'll have an earlier opportunity to establish himself a starter. Third and fourth receiving options are all over the place—see the last three guys profiled plus Funchess, etc. I expect a long apprenticeship.