Saint Mary's Basketball Producing NFL Talent?

If someone asked me which former Gael would be getting offers from an NFL team my guess would be the loudmouth tough guy Omar Samhan, but he's playing basketball in the Philippines and not the right answer. The answer is Rob Jones, and it makes some sense when you think about it.

The Minnesota Vikings, who are in desperate need of a tight end, offered Jones the chance to join their rookie mini-camp to compete for a spot at that position. Jones is a 6'6'' 237lbs beast, and he absolutely dominated the WCC with his size and physicality over the past couple seasons. Jones had 20 double-doubles over the course of his senior season, thanks in large part to his ability to out muscle opponents for rebounds.

Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, and Tony Gonzalez are three very successful tight ends who played college basketball before making the switch to the gridiron. Graham, like Jones, played only basketball while at college. He then went on to become Drew Brees' favorite target last season, during which Brees set the NFL single season record for passing yards. The athleticism that made Jones so dominant this past season(leaping ability, quickness, strength, catching and maneuvering the ball) are the traits that make him (and those other three players) such a good fit for the tight end position.



Jones played tight end in high school, which would make it easy for him to get back into the game. He even considered playing football in his first year of college. Jones played his freshman campaign for the Gaels' WCC foe, San Diego before transferring to the Saint Mary's (which has no football program). While Jones was a Torero so was Jim Harbaugh, who went on to coach Stanford (and the 2012 NFL draft's first pick, Andrew Luck) and the San Francisco 49ers (whom he took from awful to the NFC championship game). Harbaugh tried to get Jones to play both football and basketball for San Diego, but Jones decided against it.

Jones' disinterest in football persists, and he turned down the Vikings offer... for now at least. He wants to play professional basketball. For now, with his game at the level it is, he's not an NBA prospect. At 6'6'' Jones is too small to play forward, probably too slow to play on the wing. On top of his unfortunate physical position, most of Jones' production came against weak opponents (Saint Mary's does no good with their non-conference scheduling of teams as weak or weaker than most WCC teams), so despite averaging over 15 points and 10 rebounds NBA scouts don't believe he could be productive against NBA level athletes.

His talent level and athleticism make him a great fit for the Euroleague. If he does indeed play in Europe, he could easily raise his game while proving himself against solid competition. Because of that possibility, the NBA isn't out of the question just yet, but it won't be in the mix for a couple of years at best. The same goes for the NFL, Jones had this to say about the Vikings' offer and his feelings toward the sport.

"I wanted to see where I can go with basketball first, two or three years from now, if I'm not where I want to be with basketball, I can still have that option."

Unless you're a fan of international basketball, don't expect to hear much about Rob Jones for a couple years. If Jones pops back up on the American sports radar it could be because of the NFL or the NBA. But, at 23 years old, if it's going to be football that brings Rob Jones back into the news, it will have to be sooner rather than later. Jones wants to pursue a basketball career, which will just take time off of a football career. Since he's not going to be running into people for a living, like an Arena Football League player who is trying to make it to the NFL, he should be able to withstand the beating of the NFL to a later age than most who play that game.

Personally, I hope Jones is able to develop overseas and make it into the NBA at some point. Football, while entertaining, is brutal and horrible for the player's bodies and minds. I wouldn't want to see a WCC great end up with busted knees and a scrambled brain. Regardless of where he ends up, best of luck Rob, your athleticism will take you far.