2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: PJ Jules, S, Southern Illinois

PJ Jules is a freak athlete and solid tackler at safety for Southern Illinois. Hula Bowl scout Brinson Bagley breaks down Jules as an NFL Prospect in his report.

Player Data

Name, Jersey #	PJ Jules, #4
School (Code)	Southern Illinois (ILSO)
DOB, Class Yr	05/18/1998, rSr
Height, Weight	6012, 193
40 Yd Dash	4.53 est
Position/Depth	NCB/ST/S
Honors/Captainship	2023 Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, 2022 All-MVFC Second Team
Season Viewed (Yr)	2022
Games Watched	10/01/2022 Illinois State @ Southern Illinois10/15/2022 Western Illinois @ Southern Illinois11/19/2022 Southern Illinois @ Youngstown State
Scout Name / Date	Brinson Bagley, 8/27/2023

Per Year Stats (Most Recent First)

2022	Solo 41 Ast. 21 Sack 2.5 FF 1 FR 0 INT 0
2021	Solo 2 Ast. 1 Sack 0 FF 0 FR 1 INT 1
2020	Solo 1 Ast. 0 Sack 0 FF 0 FR 0 INT 0
2019	Solo n/a Ast. n/a Sack n/a FF n/a FR n/a INT n/a 9 special teams tackles

Player Summary:

rSr PJ Jules is listed as a rotational safety, however, he often is caught playing nickel. He carries a chiseled wiry body and possesses an excellent frame for his usage. He is a very instinctual, intelligent player, who shows high FBI and a willingness to anticipate and gamble. He has smooth hips and quick feet that break to disrupt a play or provide a quick rush on a blitz, and is a solid tackler who tackles in space. In man coverage, he uses these tools to shut down short and intermediate routes from the slot, quick outs, and slants, depending on UOH in coverage cunningly squeezing the receiver off their route. He is solid against deep routes in coverage, keeping up or in range to make a play. In the zone, he keeps a tactical distance from the receiver between lateral exchanges, using quick twitch to break up passes with a good closing burst. In both coverages, he keeps his eyes on the QB or the receiver and reacts to their movements. He plays with good functional strength and never gets bullied. Additionally, he makes plays on ST coverage units and is an integral part.

His biggest weakness is vertical coverage. In zone, he often is getting stacked because of his gambling tendencies, and his lack of respect for deep routes as he depends too much on his recovery. In man, when his back is to the ball he is prone to draw penalties as he struggles when chasing the receiver and making a timed decision to react. He relies too much on his arms to tackle and will need to improve on his form when trying to compete with power five prospects at the next level. He also struggles with UOH vs. blockers, as he runs around them by choice having issues disengaging at the point of contact.