Cincinnati Bengals Film Breakdown: What Does Charlie Jones Add on Offense?

Cincinnati took Jones in the fourth round (131st overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Author:
Mike Santagata
Publish date:
May 15, 2023 8:56 AM EDT

In this story:

Charlie Jones dominated the Big Ten this past year, finishing with 110 catches, 1,361 yards, and 12 touchdowns. He had the most catches, the second most yards, and fifth most receiving touchdowns in the NCAA.

He also finished top 5 in the NCAA for punt return yardage in 2020. Despite this awesome year and the return ability, Jones was not drafted on the first two days because of his slender build and age (24).

He's an intriguing prospect because he broke out as a receiver in his 6th collegiate season. Jones comes to Cincinnati by way of Purdue, by way of Iowa, by way of Buffalo. It's easy to see why he's an older prospect after spending at least a season at three different Division I schools.

Let’s dive into Jones' film to see how he can help the Bengals:

Where He Excels

His short area quickness and ability to get in and out of his breaks quickly will make him a good route runner in the underneath area. He does a great job on routes less than 15 yards down the field. The suddenness and quick change of direction make it difficult for defenders to stay with him in the underneath area.

He has great concentration to catch the ball on tips and almost never drop a pass. His hands are great and a big part of that is his concentration so that he can catch the ball in difficult situations.

He has good body control and can contort his body to make catches, as well as be in control of his feet and hands independently to make catches along the sideline. Body control is one of the most underrated parts of playing receiver and he has that natural ability.

Jones is an experienced and explosive return man. He can be a weapon in the return game to flip the field on punts or kickoffs. This translates to being a receiver with his feel for space. He has quick processing ability in the open field to know where to go and how to follow his blocks on screens.

Jones will typically hang on to any pass despite heavy contact. He is not afraid of making catches over the middle of the field and almost never drops a pass due to a big hit. He also is surprisingly good at contested catch situations despite being 5-11. He can get up there, high point the ball, and dunk on cornerbacks with the best of them.

He’s well seasoned as a player, which is a good thing for his processing against zone coverage. He reads the defense and can put himself in open. He’s a smart receiver who will make a killing against zone coverage.

Areas Of Concern

He routinely gets bullied to the sideline making throws impossible. He needs to get stronger so that he can take contact better and make himself available to the quarterback. Until this gets fixed he'll have to be used as a slot receiver in the NFL.

Surprising lack of YAC ability, despite the return experience. He doesn't make the first man miss very often and will go down on first contact.

He’s a net negative as a blocker right now. He doesn't stay attached to corners and will get bullied here a bit, similar to being shoved to the sideline. He needs to add weight so that he can move defenders and be a positive as a blocker.

Jones will turn 25 in his rookie season because of his six-year collegiate career. There is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that early declares at the wide receiver position positively correlate with good NFL careers. He’s older than both Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase.

Overall Thoughts

Jones is an older receiver who is a slot only guy, unless he adds a bit more weight.

He does a good job underneath to create separation with his short area quickness and intelligence. Sometimes it seems as if he needs to add a little bit to his routes to make them more deceptive. He currently runs just about everything at the same speed without any rocker steps or fakes at the top of the route. He should translate well as a slot receiver with some room to grow if he can become a more nuanced and complex route runner.

He has some issue throttling down when he works down the field and hits his top gear as well. He is fast as a receiver when he hits his top gear. He can threaten defenses vertically some because of this speed and it makes him a home run threat. He routinely gets bullied to the sideline or even out of bounds during a play making him unavailable to the quarterback. His release is OK, typically just using a rip move to turn his body and give the defender a smaller, moving area to try to punch and latch onto. He could add more to his release if he is going to play on the outside. All of this makes him more viable as a slot receiver where his release can be hidden and he is not close to the sideline rather than an outside receiver where his weaknesses can be exploited more.

Jones has fantastic hands and the ability to hang onto any pass. He will hold on through heavy hits, catch the ball outside of his frame, catch the ball on tip drills, catch the ball while getting two feet in bounds on the sideline, and any other situation. His surprising ability to win contested catch situations despite his height is a weapon that not every slot receiver is able to use. A large part of the value he brings as a wide receiver comes from his hands and ability to catch and hang onto any football. He is a quarterback’s best friend in this regard. He should quickly build trust with Joe Burrow.

His return ability will give him special teams value as well. Early in his career this will probably be the most value he adds to the team. The Bengals rarely play 10 personnel and that’s probably not changing much this season, so he may not see the field a ton in his rookie year on offense. If he can win the job as a return man, he will immediately add value as a special teamer. He has good open field vision and feel for space which translates to playing receiver. However, he surprisingly does not make many defenders miss in the open field or play with good balance to stay upright through contact.

Overall, Jones has a future as a slot receiver for the Bengals. It’s possible that he can eventually add good weight so he can moonlight on the outside as well, but his home seems to be in the slot despite only playing there about 15% of the time in college.

Schematic Fit

This year he’s most likely a backup slot receiver and the return man. When Tyler Boyd finishes his Cincinnati career, Jones should create a near seamless transition as the starting slot receiver. He does his best work in the short and intermediate area of the field, which is similar to Boyd and could that transition even easier.

NFL Comparison

Steve Breaston

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