Green Bay Packers NFL Draft Prospects to Know: IDL Travis Jones

Although fans have been clamoring for the Green Bay Packers to get Kenny Clark some help, the interior defensive line is a position that the team has not invested heavily in over the years.

Sure, they spent two fifth-round picks on Kinglsey Keke and TJ Slaton, but no premium draft capital—not to mention very little in free agency as well.

If there is a year where Green Bay invests more into the position, I feel like this has to be it. For starters, they have only four interior defensive linemen on the current roster and won’t have a ton of spending power in free agency. On top of that, while I would say Clark did get more help in 2021, this is still a very upgradeable position.

Hopefully, we see Slaton and Heflin take steps forward in 2022, but relying heavily on a second-year fifth-round pick and a second-year UDFA, both with minimal to no experience, comes with obvious risks. This is also the final year of Dean Lowry’s current deal, so in terms of depth, the outlook of this position isn’t looking much better in 2023 at the moment.

So for the reasons already discussed, this position is a selection that makes sense for Green Bay early on in the draft—although it’s fair to wonder if the Packers will invest that level of draft capital on the interior defensive line since they’ve been reluctant to in the past.

But if the Green Bay Packers are willing, a name to know is UCONN’s, Travis Jones.

Measuring in at 6’4” – 325 pounds, Jones is known more as a run stuffer but would improve as a pass-rusher during his time at UCONN. At the NFL Combine, Jones would score 9.65 out of 10 on the RAS scale, illustrating that there he certainly possesses pass-rush upside, even though he is likely to line up as a nose tackle at the NFL level.

Jones has three years of playing experience at UCONN — he would opt out of the 2020 season — totaling 1,603 career snaps, according to PFF ($$), as he recorded 48 pressures and seven sacks during his final two seasons after logging only eight in 2018.

By PFF’s grading system, Jones has been stout against the run his entire career, including finishing 24th out of all interior defenders in 2018 and fifth this past season. He would record at least 21 stops — or plays that end in a “loss” — in each of his three seasons, and his 25 in 2021 were tied for the 24th most. Jones also logged 19.5 career tackles for loss.

As a Senior Bowl participant, Jones was among the standouts, tallying two pressures, three tackles for loss, and two stops in the All-Star game, per PFF, while being named the top defensive tackle for the National Team at the Player-of-the-Week Awards.

For more on Jones’ game, here is what Joe Marino of The Draft Network has to say in his pre-draft report:

"“Jones is a stout run defender that frequently resets the line of scrimmage and is unselfish in how he takes on blocks, eats space, and keeps the second level clean. He is a strong processor against the run that is rarely out of his fit. As a pass rusher, Jones is an excellent pocket pusher that has active hands and the ability to power through rush angles.”"

For another perspective, here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has to say as well:

"“Nose tackle with size and power that fuels his rumbling playing style. Jones lacks explosive get-off and hand twitch. He’s unlikely to be a quick-win defender, but the anchor and upper-body power are present for gap-control duties once he gets his footwork and hand usage schooled up. He was a standout on a bad defense and more than held his own against the toughest competition he faced. Jones has the demeanor, traits and overall ability to become a successful run-plugger and potential starter in a two-gapping scheme.”"

The Mock Draft Database currently has Jones projected as a second-round pick, while The Draft Network has him at No. 5 on their IDL big board.

In past years, Clark has been the Green Bay Packers’ primary nose tackle, lining up at 0 or 1 tech frequently. This was often out of necessity given the makeup of roster, and while Clark was certainly still able to be a force, to a degree, he was limited as well, due to all of the double-teams he faced.

This past season under Joe Barry, however, we saw more of Clark away from the interior, which meant more one-on-one opportunities, and it’s not a coincidence that he had one of his more productive seasons in terms of pressures.

With the added presence of Jones in the middle doing the dirty work and eating up double-teams, it would give Green Bay additional freedom to move Clark around and find more of those one-on-one opportunities.

Admittedly, there is some overlap in terms of skill-set in Jones’ and Slaton’s games, but the defensive front is a heavily rotated position, Jones comes with more upside and he is more refined, also, there is no rule that limits teams to having just one big man in the middle.

The addition of Jones would go a long way in getting Kenny Clark that additional help.