The Green Bay Packers are hosting Tennessee receiver and returner Velus Jones Jr. on a pre-draft visit. Jones revealed he was in Green Bay on his official Instagram account on Tuesday night.
Jones played four seasons at USC before transferring to Tennessee. He will turn 25 years old in May.
Jones is headed to the NFL after producing 2,973 kick return yards and 4,7738 all-purpose yards at the college level.
Over two seasons and 23 games at Tennessee, Jones caught 84 passes for 1,087 yards and 10 touchdowns. He returned 41 kickoffs for 1,026 yards (25.0 yards/return) and one touchdown. He also returned 18 punts for 272 yards (15.1). In all, Jones produced 2,416 all-purpose yards.
In 2021, Jones was the Co-SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.
Jones (5-11, 204) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds, hit 33″ in the vertical leap and covered 10-1 in the broad jump at the NFL Scouting Combine. His Relative Athletic Score is 9.05 out of 10.
Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire believes Jones could be the best return man in the draft class. And he’ll add value on offense in the right scheme.
“Jones is an explosive player. He’s dangerous with the ball in his hands and shows good elusiveness in the open field. He is tough as nails and will fight for extra yards. He can be utilized on jet sweeps and screens. The name of the game is to get the ball in his hands and let him put stress on the defense.”
The Packers can meet with 30 prospects before the draft. The team has used four visits on receivers: Jones, Treylon Burks, Tyquan Thornton and George Pickens.