What the Vikings can expect from DE Patrick Jones II in 2021

The Good

Continues to improve

Patrick Jones II spent all four years of his college football career with Pittsburgh, playing 40 total games for the school and accumulating 112 total tackles, including 32 tackles for a loss and 21.5 of those being quarterback sacks.

Jones saw his best years come in when he had 11.5 sacks in 2019 and 12.5 in 2020. That kind of pass-rushing productivity is great to see and knowing that he likely hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling has to be something the Vikings love.

Lightning-fast off the snap

There are a lot of ways to win on the edge against offensive tackles. One of the biggest advantages Jones will have over many blockers is his explosiveness at the start of plays. Watching tape on him makes that suddenness obvious and it is the key to his success on most plays against the pass.

Seeing this from Jones has to be one of the most important reasons the Vikings decided to use a third-round pick on him since this kind of ability isn’t something that comes naturally to many pass rushers.

Ability to change it up

After getting an initial advantage off the snap, Jones has a nice variety of moves to get past blockers. This keeps opposing left tackles guessing and can frustrate slower blockers to no end.

The polish in his game at this point is something that can only be enhanced by a Minnesota coaching staff that seems to get the very best out of their defensive ends. If they can bring out his potential, Jones could be a very scary player to pair with Danielle Hunter.