Ernest Jones (born November 22, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina.
 Jones with South Carolina in 2019 | |||||||||||||
| No. 13 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | November 22, 1999 Waycross, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Ware County (GA) | ||||||||||||
| College: | South Carolina (2018–2020) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 3 / pick: 103 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Early years
editJones grew up in Waycross, Georgia and attended Ware County High School.[1] As a senior, he recorded 112 tackles with six tackles for loss, two sacks and three forced fumbles and was named first-team Class AAAAA.[2] Jones committed to play at South Carolina after considering offers from Georgia Tech and Duke.[3]
College career
editJones played in five games as a freshman with 16 tackles and a forced fumble.[4] He became a starter and led South Carolina with 97 tackles in his sophomore season.[5] Going into his junior season, Jones missed most of South Carolina's preseason training due to an appendectomy.[2] He led the team again as a junior with 86 tackles, five of which were for a loss.[6] At the end of the season, Jones declared that he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.[7]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
33+3⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
4.71 s | 1.63 s | 2.72 s | 4.38 s | 7.49 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
19 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[8][9][10] | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Rams
editJones was selected in the third round with the 103rd overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams.[11] Jones signed his four-year rookie contract with the Rams on July 22, 2021.[12]
Jones entered his rookie season in 2021 as a backup inside linebacker behind Kenny Young and Troy Reeder. He was inserted into the starting lineup after the Rams traded Young prior to Week 8. In Week 14, Jones intercepted a pass from Kyler Murray in a 30–23 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 16 and was placed on injured reserve on December 28, finishing the regular season with 61 tackles and one sack, with four passes defensed and two interceptions through 15 games and seven starts. Jones was activated on January 29, 2022, for the National Football Conference Championship game, contributing two tackles as he backed up Reeder in L.A.'s 20–17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. In Super Bowl LVI, Jones got the start at inside linebacker and recorded seven tackles with one sack and a pass defensed in the Rams' 23–20 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.[13]
During the team's voluntary minicamp in May 2022, the team announced that Jones was changing his jersey number from '50' to '53.'[14]
Jones became a full-time starter in 2023, starting 15 games while leading the team with 145 tackles.
Tennessee Titans
editPrior to the 2024 season, Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans with a 2026 sixth-round pick for a 2026 fifth-round pick.[15]
Seattle Seahawks
editOn October 23, 2024, Jones was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Jerome Baker and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ Sinor, Wesley (February 24, 2017). "Auburn becomes immediate contender for LB Ernest Jones". AL.com. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Cloninger, David (September 23, 2020). "Gamecocks' defensive leader looking 'to dominate' after appendicitis derailed his preseason". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ Kornblut, Phil (May 5, 2017). "Ernest Jones commits to Will Muschamp, South Carolina". The State. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ Breiner, Ben (January 17, 2019). "South Carolina football: Ernest Jones could help in 2019". The State. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Collyn (May 19, 2020). "CAROLINA FOOTBALL: 'This is my defense,' Ernest Jones says". The Times and Democrat. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ Boynton, Eric (April 13, 2021). "Former South Carolina linebacker Ernest Jones gaining steam in NFL draft process". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "South Carolina linebacker Ernest Jones declares for NFL". APNews.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "Ernest Jones Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ "Ernest Jones, South Carolina, ILB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ "Rams select Ernest Jones with No. 103 pick in 2021 draft". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (April 30, 2021). "Rams select ILB Ernest Jones with 103rd pick in 2021 NFL Draft". TheRams.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ Links, Zachary (July 22, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/22/21". ProFootballRumors.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ DaSilva, Cameron (May 23, 2022). "Ernest Jones changes jersey number to 53". Rams Wire. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (August 27, 2024). "Titans acquiring LB Ernest Jones, 2026 sixth-round pick from Rams in exchange for 2026 fifth-round pick". NFL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (October 23, 2024). "Seahawks trading Jerome Baker, fourth-round pick to Titans for Ernest Jones in linebacker swap". NFL.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Boyle, John (October 23, 2024). "Seahawks Agree To Trade With Titans For LB Ernest Jones IV". NFL.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
External links
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