Kevin Jones to be released

[upstater1]

I never thought this kid was any good. Goes down way too easy on contact. I thought he was wildly overrated as a first rounder. Watching him at VT, it was obvious he wasn't even the best back on the team. All the pub, none of the heart.

 

[patsfanofNC12]

Sweet. The Pats can sign Jones to back up Alexander!

And then we can go and draft McFadden just to make sure we have a good backfield.

 

[dryheat44]

I would take Jones in a heartbeat if the price is right (and I don't think it will be). Having had him in my fantasy keeper league for many years, I've watched way too many Lions games. He missed the first couple of games with the Lis Franc, but came back and was playing extremely well towards the end of the season, even though he was horribly misused by Martz. So we sign him, put him on PUP until his ACL heals up, and we have one hell of a backup RB.

Think about KJ is that he pretty much can do it all. He can run between the tackles and be an effective short-yardage back. He's one of the best RBs in the NFL in the screen/draw game. He can bounce outside, although I'm sure his speed will be hampered. He could effectively back up Maroney and Faulk.

Really, the only questions are how healthy will he be come September, and will he come cheaply enough. If we could get him on a one year "prove it" deal like Stallworth, I'd be very happy.

 

[unoriginal]

I'm not sure. He had 62 catches in 2006. Then again, Morris was considered a third down back once upon a time too. The problem is that Jones became very ordinary after his Lisfranc fracture - the perpetual danger of investing in a running back.

Like Sammy Morris, Kevin Jones tries to truck people instead of squirting past them, a la Kevin Faulk. That's why Kevin Jones is often injured; because he's a hard runner.

 

[Patriotis]

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2008/03/2004_revisited.html

As BradyManny2344 pointed out the Pats were high on him according to M. Reiss.

2004 revisited
Posted by Mike Reiss, Globe Staff March 14, 2008 06:35 AM
ANALYSIS

Although it was a Thursday personnel move that involved a different NFL team – the Lions releasing running back Kevin Jones – it led to two Patriots-specific thoughts:


New England had targeted Jones coming out of the 2004 draft, and was strongly considering him with its first-round selection (32nd overall) before the Lions swooped in.


When assessing the 2004 first round at this point, the Patriots’ work is all the more impressive.

Having already picked Vince Wilfork 21st overall, the Patriots had one more first-round selection to make, 32nd overall. The team had Jones on its short list of prospects who would be an option at 32, envisioning him as a strong pairing with newly acquired Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk.

As the draft unfolded, the possibility of Jones winding up in New England looked like it could become a reality. The Chiefs were on the clock at 30 and they had picked running back Larry Johnson in the first round the prior year, so they likely wouldn’t select another back. The 49ers, at 31, seemed to be the only potential roadblock.

Yet as it turned out, while the Chiefs were on the clock, they traded their 30th selection to the Lions. Detroit then selected Jones.

The Patriots ended up with tight end Benjamin Watson.

Spinning things forward, a look back at the 2004 first round reveals how well the Patriots fared compared to other teams.

From picks 21-32, there are already two players out of the league completely (CB Ahmad Carroll, WR Rashaun Woods) and two have either been cut or are with new teams (LB/DE Jason Babin, Jones). Another is seemingly on his way out of town (Bills QB J.P. Losman), while two other players didn’t play a snap last year due to injury (DT Marcus Tubbs, RB Chris Perry).

So looking back, while Watson has probably disappointed some by not living up to the high expectations that followed him to New England, the Wilfork-Watson combo rates highly compared to what has happened with their first-round peers.