McKinley grad Jones looking for shot in NFL
By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff report
Posted Apr 05, 2010
There?s a Grand Canyon of a gap between Sam Bradford and Brad Jones in one aspect of the NFL draft.
Bradford is the likely No. 1 overall pick. Jones once intercepted a Bradford pass.
That doesn?t make Jones? dream any smaller than Bradford?s. He is the latest prospect to have played high school football next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a serious shot at pro football.
NFL.com draft guru Gil Brandt said Jones had ?an outstanding workout? at the University of Cincinnati pro day. Brandt nodded to the Bearcats? big names, quarterback Tony Pike and wideout Marty Gilyard, but added, ?It was Jones who really used the opportunity to vault himself.?
Jones played for a McKinley team that reached a state title game and then spent four years at Cincinnati overshadowed by a secondary that has produced six picks in recent NFL drafts.
He broke through as a starter and co-captain as a fifth-year senior in 2009, on a team that went 12-1.
?I think I played very well,? Jones said of his 2009 season. ?I didn?t give up a touchdown all year.
?I?m way confident. I know I have the ability to compete and to play.?
The Bengals are among teams that have nosed around Jones since the pro day. He has gained insight into the NFL from a cousin, former McKinley All-Ohioan Mike Doss, who played a few games for the Bengals in 2008.
?We hung out frequently when Mike was down here,? Jones said Monday from Cincinnati. ?I got a good perspective of the NFL from Mike.?
