Ernest Jones (linebacker)

Ernest Jones (born November 22, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina.

This article is about the linebacker born 1999. For the defensive lineman born 1971, see Ernest Jones (defensive lineman). For other persons with similar names, see Ernest Jones (disambiguation).
Ernest Jones
refer to caption
Jones with South Carolina in 2019
No. 53 – Los Angeles Rams
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1999-11-22) 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
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2023
Total tackles:184
Sacks:1.0
Forced fumbles:1
Interceptions:3
Pass deflections:6
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life and high school

Jones 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

Jones 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
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench 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 s1.63 s2.72 s4.38 s7.49 s38.5 in
(0.98 m)		10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		19 reps
All values from Pro Day[8][9][10]

Jones 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 NFC Championship game, contributing two tackles as he backed up Reeder in L.A.'s 20-17 triumph 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]

References
  1. Sinor, Wesley (February 24, 2017). "Auburn becomes immediate contender for LB Ernest Jones". AL.com. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  2. Cloninger, David (September 23, 2020). "Gamecocks' defensive leader looking 'to dominate' after appendicitis derailed his preseason". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  3. Kornblut, Phil (May 5, 2017). "Ernest Jones commits to Will Muschamp, South Carolina". The State. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  4. "South Carolina football: Ernest Jones could help in 2019". The State. January 17, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  5. Taylor, Collyn (May 19, 2020). "CAROLINA FOOTBALL: 'This is my defense,' Ernest Jones says". The Times and Democrat. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  6. Boynton, Eric (April 13, 2021). "Former South Carolina linebacker Ernest Jones gaining steam in NFL draft process". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  7. "South Carolina linebacker Ernest Jones declares for NFL". APNews.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  8. "Ernest Jones Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  9. "Ernest Jones, South Carolina, ILB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  10. "Rams select Ernest Jones with No. 103 pick in 2021 draft". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  11. Jackson, Stu (April 30, 2021). "Rams select ILB Ernest Jones with 103rd pick in 2021 NFL Draft". TheRams.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. Links, Zachary (July 22, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/22/21". ProFootballRumors.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  13. "Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  14. DaSilva, Cameron (May 23, 2022). "Ernest Jones changes jersey number to 53". Rams Wire. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
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