Defensive end Chandler Jones received a third-round grade from the NFL’s draft advisory board when he left school early, following his junior season. Jones says he hasn’t paid attention to any mock drafts since. And he still expects to be a third-round pick.
“Right now they say I’m ranked and can go as high as the middle of the first round, but I don’t feed into that at all,” Jones told WNST in Baltimore. “I’m still expecting third round, so if I do go higher everything will be a surprise.”
Jones was probably joking, but he sounds refreshingly down to earth for a 22-year-old about to collect multi-millions. Jones does come from humble roots. He was largely unwanted out of high school, garnering just a two-star rating as a prep recruit from Endicott, New York.
And now, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock believes Jones is capable of emerging as the best defensive player in the 2012 draft.