ESPN analyst keeps LSU OT Emery Jones out of NFL Mock Draft for Rounds 1-2
Despite a solid showing to kick off the week at the Senior Bowl, and starting three straight years at right tackle for LSU, one ESPN analyst still doesn’t view Emery Jones in the same light as many others.
On Monday, ESPN’s Matt Miller released his post-Senior Bowl 2025 NFL Mock Draft for Round 1 and Round 2 – with a total of 64 picks listed.
Absent from the list: Jones, who left college after three seasons to test the NFL Draft waters.
Jones worked at right tackle during much of the Senior Bowl, though it’s expected he makes the move to guard at the NFL level unless teams fall in love with his abilities at the right tackle position.
There’s also a noteworthy reality to Miller’s most recent mock draft: he listed just two offensive lineman as projected picks to come off the board in Round 2 – a number that will certainly be eclipsed when the NFL Draft’s second round begins in late-April. Before projecting the San Francisco 49ers to draft a center in the second round, Miller circled Ohio State offensive guard Donovan Jackson as a second-rounder with the No. 36 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Miller projected Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea and Alabama’s Tyler Booker as interior offensive linemen to be drafted late in the first round, and the ESPN analyst slid Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in with the No. 23 overall pick to the Green Bay Packers.
The highest-rated interior offensive lineman on Miller’s newest NFL Mock Draft is Missouri’s Armand Membou going to the Miami Dolphins with the No. 13 overall pick. Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks and Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons went back-to-back with picks No. 10 and No. 11 in Miller’s Mock Draft, meaning the offensive lineman projected to be taken first is LSU’s Will Campbell.
Campbell, who started three straight seasons opposite Jones as LSU’s left tackle, was projected to the New York Jets with the No. 7 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
“Despite drafting Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu with the No. 11 pick last year, the Jets could still use help in the trenches. Starting tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses are free agents, which would allow Campbell to team up with Fashanu,” Miller wrote on ESPN.com.
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“There are questions about Campbell’s shorter arms — I’ve been told scouts measured them under 33 inches this past summer — but his quick feet and understanding of angles served him well as a three-year starter.
“New York could try Campbell at tackle first, where he has the tools to be an impact starter, and then shift him to guard if necessary. Regardless, he gives the Jets another young, talented offensive lineman to build around.”
Campbell has been widely considered a Top 10 pick in mock drafts across the past month, but now Jones will look to surge up NFL big boards through pre-draft workouts, the NFL Combine and LSU Pro Day.
It’s worth noting, while Jones was not circled as a Round 1 or Round 2 pick, Miller’s mock draft included a second LSU player in tight end Mason Taylor.
Taylor was projected to be taken in Round 2 by the Los Angeles Chargers as the No. 55 overall pick.
“The Chargers should go heavy on offense to give quarterback Justin Herbert a better supporting cast,” Miller said. “The son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, Mason Taylor had only six collegiate touchdowns but has the potential to be a major player in the red zone. He impressed at the Senior Bowl and can consistently win on option routes or post-up safeties with his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame.”
