WATCH: Velus Jones Jr. blazes through 40-yard dash, impresses at NFL Combine
Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. is certainly helping his NFL Draft stock at this week’s NFL Combine, as the speedy wide receiver showed off his wheels in the 40-yard dash on Thursday.
Jones in two 40-yard dash attempts turned heads in Indianapolis. First, he logged a 4.34-second time on the event, only to one-up himself in his second attempt with a 4.32-second 40-yard dash time.
Jones’ 4.32-second 40-yard dash time tied for the fastest among all wide receiveres that tested on Thursday, as Memphis wideout Calvin Austin III also had a 4.32-second time. The two lead the pack, and they are followed by SMU wide receiver Danny Gray, who ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash; Rutgers wide receiver Bo Melton, who ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash; and Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., who ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash.
A native of Saraland, AL, Jones just finished up his redshirt senior season (sixth-year) at Tennessee, and he spent the first four years of his collegiate career with the USC Trojans. Jones’ best season at USC came in his redshirt freshman season, in 2018, when he had 24 receptions for 266 yards and a touchdown, while also tallying six carries for 13 yards and a touchdown. Largely used as a kick returner, Jones — a 6-foot, 200-pound wide receiver — did not play a huge role in the offense until his transfer to Tennessee.
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In two seasons as a starter for the Volunteers, Jones looked the part of an eventual NFL Draft selection. He amassed 1,087 yards in the past two seasons on 84 receptions, while adding 10 receiving touchdowns. Additionally, he continued to flourish in his role as a kick returner, finishing the 2021 season as the only player in the nation with 800-plus receiving yards, 200-plus punt return yards and 600-plus kickoff return yards. In the end, Jones — whose 20221 performance was good for an invite to the Reece’s Senior Bowl — was named the 2021 SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year, while also earning 2021 All-SEC honors.
Jones was a four-star recruit coming out of Saraland, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He committed to USC as the No. 71 wide receiver in the 2016 recruiting class.