Winning back-to-back Joe Moore Awards means having more than just five capable offensive lineman, and no school has had a deeper position group than the Michigan Wolverines. Trente Jones was a big part of that, and as a result has a great chance to be drafted despite never being a full-time starter.
NFL Combine Results
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 305 pounds
Arm: 33”
Hand: 10 1/8”
40-Yard Dash: 5.17 sec
10-Yard Split: 1.79 sec
Vertical Jump: 27”
Strengths
Good burst and strength; fires off the snap, athletic
Strong run blocker; very capable of getting to second level
Knowledgeable; capable of executing a variety of different schemes
High character; embraced role as sixth lineman, embodied “next man up” mentality to close out 2023
Negatives
Less experienced than most other prospects
Smaller measurables, though works through them
Technique is not always perfect, especially in pass protection
Can sometimes overshoot with aggression
good as Zak Zinter is — and he is quite good — there is a reason the Michigan offense continued to perform for the final three-plus games after Zinter went down. With Karsen Barnhart sliding to guard and Jones stepping in at right tackle, there was no drop-off from the offense on the biggest stages. Jones had a solid Rose Bowl performance and followed that up with a National Championship that featured domination on the ground. That is not normally what happens when a team loses an All-American lineman late in the season.
Jones was locked into a starting job in 2024, but it is not a surprise he is headed to the NFL instead. Despite operating as the sixth lineman for most of his career, the senior has put up plenty of tape to show his ability at the next level. His increased reps in the biggest games of his career were more than enough reason for him to make the jump, and there are no hard feelings in Ann Arbor.
There are certainly some opportunities for development, especially given that his snap count will be lower than many other prospects, but it is hard to argue against his production from when he did see the field. Jones waited patiently for his opportunity and came in and smashed, with very few busts, when those opportunities arrived. He is absolutely worth drafting this spring.
