Praise keeps coming for Houston OT Josh Jones

Josh Jones, may have been on scouts’ radar for quite a while, but it took a bit longer for NFL draft analysts to recognize the 6-foot-5, 311-pound Houston senior’s dominance.

Now? Jones is almost universally mocked as a first-rounder in the 2020 NFL draft.

The team captain has started 45 games at left tackle, dating back to his redshirt freshman year. After being named to the Outland Trophy Preseason Watch list and to Pro Football Focus’ Midseason All-American team, he closed out his career with The American’s All-Conference second-team honors and a trip to the Senior Bowl.

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And the plaudits continue for Jones. He received high praise during the Senior Bowl, routinely going against some of the top pass rushers in the upcoming draft.

“It didn’t matter if it was a speed rush to the outside, an inside counter, a bull rush, or a swipe move, Jones stymied everything all afternoon for the North squad,” writes CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso, who adds Jones could be the second or third OT taken in the draft.

“He’s that much of a prototype for his position and has been that much of a standout to start Senior Bowl week,” Trapasso said.

The Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller is also on the Jones hype-train, saying he’s “fallen in love with” the how Jones plays. Miller compared him to Andrew Dillard.

“Dillard, who went No. 22 overall last year to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Jones have identical body types, and both are such smooth athletes at left tackle,” Miller said. “As Dillard did last year, I expect Jones to have a nice rise to the middle of Round 1.”

Jones is the No. 18 overall player on the latest Fanspeak-Steve big board.