Christian Jones, ILB, Florida St.
6'3" 240#
STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS: Tremendous athlete with has fluid footwork who flawlessly flips his hips to blanket tight ends or receivers down the field in coverage. Tall and long, which he uses well in coverage. Plays with excellent range and speed to chase down the action, taking proper angles in pursuit. Flashes the take-on strength to blow past blockers when he uses proper technique.
WEAKNESSES: Needs to improve his awareness to turn his head and find the ball. Length is advantageous, but at times will cause him to play too upright, and he needs to improve his overall leverage, especially on tackle attempts. Will get hung up on blocks at times.
--Dane Brugler (11/27/13)
PLAYER OVERVIEW
Jones was a five-star prospect by Rivals.com coming out of Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Fla. While he considered offers from Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, Jones was a natural fit to land at FSU, where his father, Willie Jones, Sr., starred as a defensive end.
As a true freshman, Jones saw action in all 14 games on special teams and as an occasional reserve linebacker, finishing the season with 18 tackles, three sacks and three tackles for loss.
Jones entered the starting rotation at strong-side linebacker in 2011, finishing second on the team with 56 tackles, six for losses, along with three sacks and a team-high two forced fumbles.
He again started every game in 2012 while moving to the weak side, finishing with a team-high 95 tackles. Jones racked up more tackles in 14 games as a junior than he had in his first 27 games entering the season.
Jones was on the move again as a senior, this time to the middle under new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. He went on to finish sixth on the team with 49 tackles while starting 11 of 12 games heading into the BCS title game. Jones also had 7.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks to go along with six quarterback hits.
