Dynamic Return Man & WR Velus Jones Jr. Visiting Packers

Every NFL team has 30 available official pre-draft visits where they can bring prospects to the facility to speak with them in person. One of those visits for the Green Bay Packers will be going to Tennessee receiver Velus Jones Jr, who posted on his Instagram account that he was in town.

We all know that the Packers have a need at receiver, but in addition to that, Jones brings a dynamic return ability as well, with experience as both a punt and kick returner in college.

Really, every aspect of the Packers special teams unit was in shambles at one point or another last season, including the return units, which could use a serious infusion of talent, and that is something Jones can provide.

For his career, Jones has 122 kick return attempts and has averaged 24.4 yards per return with two touchdowns. In 2021, Jones 26.8 yards per return ranked 29th in all of college football per PFF ($$).

He didn’t see his first action as a punt returner until this past season, when he had 18 attempts and averaged an impressive 15.1 yards per return. This ranked fifth among those with at least 10 punt return attempts.

Jones measured in at just under 6’0″ and weighed 204 pounds while posting 9.05 out of 10 on the RAS scale, including a blazing 4.31-second 40-yard dash.

Jones is a bit on the older side at 24 years old and has five years of playing experience, which began at USC; however, the bulk of his production at receiver came in 2021. This season he was targeted 67 times and caught 77% of those passes at 13.9 yards per catch with six touchdowns.

He was especially effective with the ball in his hands, again, another element this Green Bay Packers’ offense needs, ranking 28th in total YAC and 16th in average YAC. Jones has experience on the boundary but spent a majority of his snaps this past year lined up in the slot.

For a closer look at Jones’ game, here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlien wrote in his pre-draft report:

"“Special-teams specialist with good size. Despite spending six seasons in college between his time at USC and Tennessee, Jones has very modest production as a wideout, but flashed potential in that area in 2021. He’s fearless with the ball in his hands after the catch and as a kick returner. He’s not a very fundamentally sound route-runner but might not need to be if teams view him as a catch-and-run specialist in the quick game underneath. Jones has a chance to ride his special teams versatility into a specialist spot on a roster.”"

During the NFL owners’ meeting last week, Matt LaFleur said that this Packers offense needs more speed, which Jones would provide along with his YAC ability. That coupled with LaFleur’s ability to get his pass-catchers into space, Jones could be a real weapon in this system. But where he could potentially make the biggest impact early on is on special teams as a return man, as development as a receiver is still going to be required.