Miami concluded their 2013 NFL Draft with the pick of FS Don Jones out of Arkansas State with their last pick in the 7th round. Jones is a very good athlete and has nice size at 5'11 1/8, 191 lbs, and very good speed as he has run a 4.41 40. He also has a 42" vertical jump and a broad jump of 10'-7". He finished his senior season with 74 tackles, 2 pass breakups and 1 interception.
Jones lacks elite size, but shows adequate instincts and athleticism. He must learn to take better angles, but we like his active demeanor down the middle of the field. Jones also has the ability to contribute on special teams as a non-returner.
At Arkansas State's pro day, Jones ran a 4.42- and 4.40-second 40-yard dash, had a 42-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-7 broad jump. He ran the short-shuttle in 4.48 seconds, the three-cone drill in 7.19 seconds and had 17 reps of 225 pounds.
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There was talk that the Dolphins could possibly look to go with a placekicker to possibly replace Dan Carpenter, and the Dolphins used their 2nd 5th round pick to take PK Caleb Sturgis of Florida. Sturgis has a very strong leg and is very accurate from distance, as he was 17-22 on kicks beyond 40 yards. Average kickoff distance and did have 3 kicks blocked as a senior.
Strugis has had a consistent career and shined at the East-West Shrine Game. He has an adequate leg and very good accuracy as a place kicker. He also gets good distance on his kickoffs.
Sometimes you don’t what you’ve got until it’s gone. The Gators found this to be true in 2010 when Sturgis missed the last nine games of the season with a back injury suffered in the preseason. They lost three straight games after he went down, including two home games by a total of seven points where punter Chas Henry missed three field goal attempts. Florida didn’t even try a field goal the entire month of November (though Henry redeemed himself with a 3-for-3 effort against Penn State in an Outback Bowl win).
Sturgis returned healthy for his junior year, however, and became one of the top kickers in the country. He was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award after connecting on 22 of 26 field goal attempts including a 55-yarder against Furman. It was the first season he connected on every extra point try (31-31, was 65-70 over his first three years) He also had made 22 field goals as a sophomore in 2008 (on 30 attempts), belting the longest kick of the season in the SEC when he sent a 56-yard attempt through the uprights against Georgia. Sturgis was a kickoff specialist as a true freshman, and has continued in that duty ever since. As a senior, Sturgis made 24 of 28 attempts. He also improved his touchback percentage on kickoffs from a dismal 17 percent in 2011 to 45 percent in 2012.
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Flashes the ability to hit strong, high field goals in the 45-52 yard range and drive kicks through the uprights from 55-plus yards away. Has improved his field goal accuracy over time. Shows mental toughness in bouncing back from misses.
WEAKNESSES
Only adequate size for the position. Inconsistent in his trajectory on both shorter kicks and when driving the ball low to get a bit extra once past 50-plus yards. May need to speed up his approach on placements, his three-step delivery can be a bit slow. Kickoffs reaching the end zone are a bit lower than scouts prefer, and could be brought out by NFL returners.
NFL COMPARISON
Phil Dawson
BOTTOM LINE
Now two years off a back injury that cost him most of the 2010 season, Sturgis has enough leg strength and accuracy to have earned All-American honors in two consecutive seasons
(Compensatory pick) The Dolphins nab their third University of Florida player in the draft, this time adding the Gators' kicker. Sturgis, who has a big leg and is accurate beyond 40 yards, should be able to beat out Dan Carpenter for the kicking duties.
Be sure to download our browser toolbar for Firefox, Internet Exploder, and now Google Chrome. We keep it updated with all the current links that keeps us informed.
Miami concluded their 2013 NFL Draft with the pick of FS Don Jones out of Arkansas State with their last pick in the 7th round. Jones is a very good athlete and has nice size at 5'11 1/8, 191 lbs, and very good speed as he has run a 4.41 40. He also has a 42" vertical jump and a broad jump of 10'-7". He finished his senior season with 74 tackles, 2 pass breakups and 1 interception.
There was talk that the Dolphins could possibly look to go with a placekicker to possibly replace Dan Carpenter, and the Dolphins used their 2nd 5th round pick to take PK Caleb Sturgis of Florida. Sturgis has a very strong leg and is very accurate from distance, as he was 17-22 on kicks beyond 40 yards. Average kickoff distance and did have 3 kicks blocked as a senior.
