2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Austin Jones, RB, USC

Austin Jones the star running back from USC Trojans is a beast on the field. Check out this scouting report from Chris Spooner of the Hula Bowl.

Player Data

Name, Jersey #	Austin Jones, #6
School (Code)	Southern California (CASC)
DOB, Class Yr	2/7/2001, 5th Yr. Sr.
Height, Weight	5093e, 205e
40 Yd Dash	4.54e
Position/Depth	RB/1
Honors/Captainship	All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention (2022), Third-Team All-Pac-12 (Phil Steele, 2022), Deswarte-Eller Award (Stanford’s Most Outstanding Sophomore), Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll (2020, 2022)
Season Viewed (yr)	2022, 2023
Games Watched	COUN (2022), UTUN (2022), COUN (2023)
Scout Name / Date	Chris Spooner, 10/10/2023

Per Year Stats (Most Recent First)

2023	6 GP, 25 Att, 163 Yds, 4 TDs; 5 Rec, 40 Yds
2022	14 GP, 135 Att, 705 Yds, 5 TDs; 25 Rec, 267 Yds, 1 TD
2021	11 GP, 107 Att, 378 Yds, 2 TD; 32 Rec, 267 Yds, 1 TD
2020	6 GP, 126 Att, 550 Yds, 9 TDs; 21 Rec, 156 Yds
2019	12 GP, 45 Att, 277 Yds, 1 TD; 14 Rec, 108 Yds

Player Summary:

Transfer from Stanford. Second year as a starter. Started the last four games in 2022 after leg injury to starter. Though listed as starter, splits time with MarShawn Lloyd. Older brother played football at Troy and Jacksonville State. Poor height and weight for the position. Thicker lower body with slender upper half; has room to add weight. Used both in the backfield and occasionally split wide. Shows good vision and COD skills to find and hit cutback lanes. Has solid contact balance to not go down on initial contact. Does well to keep his feet moving through contact to stay upright and pick up extra yardage. Has adequate speed and burst to hit the hole. Shows good FBI in his patience to wait for a hole to open. Has shown the ability to contribute in the passing game. Shows soft hands and consistent catch ability. Does well to work into the open field and provide his quarterback with a reliable safety valve. Exhibits good mental fortitude in his “want to” in pass blocking. Is aggressive in pass blocking, coming up strong to meet defenders with good technique. Is only an average athlete. Skill set is suited for zone running scheme, but lacks speed and athleticism to be a true home-run threat in said scheme. Has difficulty shaking athletic LBs and DBs in the open field, due to average athleticism. Shows flashes of good open-field agility and explosiveness, but is not consistent. Will likely be asked to add a few pounds and get stronger. Lack of strength shows on film when asked to pass protect. Is a willing blocker, but doesn’t have the strength to consistently hold his own against blitzing LBs or EDGE defenders. Does not show an extra gear in the open field to consistently run away from defenders, but is fast enough to maintain space.