Jaguars take chance with Jones, hoping to convert him to WR

NEW YORK – Judging solely by the crowd response, wide receiver Matt Jones was the biggest surprise in the NFL draft Saturday.

Now Jones has the chance to be one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. Or just another project that didn’t pan out.

At 6-foot-6 and 242 pounds, Jones runs a sub-4.40 40-yard dash – drool-inducing measurables for nearly any receiver prospect. The only catch: Jones played quarterback in college.

He has little to no experience making catches, running routes or doing anything else that wide receivers have to do at an elite level. That wasn’t enough to deter the Jacksonville Jaguars, who took him 21st overall, provoking a loud reaction from fans of all teams.

Jones set the Southeastern Conference career record for yards rushing by a quarterback with 2,535 at Arkansas, and played two seasons on the Razorbacks’ basketball team.

“It’s prepared me to be in the kind of shape you need to be in to run routes all day,” Jones said from his home in Van Buren, Ark. “I know there’s going to be bumps in the road, but I think (the transition) is going to go well.”

The recent history of college QBs switching positions in the NFL is spotty at best.

Former Indiana star Antwaan Randle-El has been a success at receiver and return man for Pittsburgh, but St. Louis was unable to convert Nebraska Heisman Trophy-winner Eric Crouch into a serviceable wideout. Another Nebraska quarterback, Scott Frost, was a marginal-at-best special teams contributor.