Rookie Spotlight: Cayleb Jones, WR Philadelphia Eagles

Height: 6′ 02 1/2”
Weight: 209 lbs
Hands: 9 1/4’’
Arm: 32 3/4’’
40 yard dash: 4.65 (Combine)
NFL Comparison: Jason Avant, Vince Mayle

Scouting Notes: Cayleb Jones was born into a football family: his father was a 10-year NFL linebacker, his brother Isaiah is a star WR at East Carolina and his uncle was starting QB, NFL All-Pro and friend of RosterWatch Jeff Blake. Jones looks every bit the part of a long, strapping wideout. With smooth releases and good hands, Jones adds some finesse to his imposing stature that gives him a clear advantage on contested balls. With only decent long-speed and a lack of physicality though, Jones rarely outright beats or manhandles his defenders — a red flag for someone of his considerable size. Jones’ biggest question mark is his character. He was charged with aggravated assault when he was a student at Texas. It was reduced to a misdemeanor, but it was enough of a distraction to move him to Arizona to complete his college career. And technically he didn’t complete that career, as Jones left UA after a junior year that was serviceable but not up to expectations amassing only just-over 900 yards to go along with a relatively puny five scores. Many think he should have stayed for another year to perfect his craft — another sign of immaturity and lackadaisical nature — in addition to his lack of physical play. The game has come easily to Jones up to this point, but will it be so easy for him in the pros? That’s unlikely.

Fantasy Outlook: In Philly, Jordan Matthews isn’t improving on the outside, and Nelson Agholor is facing what could be considerable legal troubles, so there’s some room for Jones to find a fit on the field. It’s actually one of the better situations he could have fallen to all things considered. Furthermore, Jones was in the Top 15 of our proprietary combine on-field testing scores for 2016, sandwiched between two first-round talents in Will Fuller and Sterling Shepard. Ideally a possession receiver, Jones may not have to rely so much on speed, but his inability to muscle corners off the line is going to cause problems for him. I’m not bullish on Jones, but the potential lack of playmakers on the Philly WR corps makes him worth a late-round flier in dynasty formats. He is not a player who RosterWatch Nation will have overweight exposure to when using the 3-step cheat sheet.

Download the 2016 dynasty cheat sheet now!

Download the 2016 dynasty cheat sheet now!