Saturday, June 9, 2007

2007 Recruiting - Chad Jones


Now seems like an appropriate time to profile Chad Jones, Safety, 6'2", 220#, alleged 4.45 seconds in the 40. He is one of the marquee 2007 signees, as he is arguably the best safety prospect in the country for 2007 as a 5-star on both Rivals and Scout, the two major commercial scouting services. Furthermore, his grades are in order as well. He'd also play on the baseball team.

What's not to love? Well, as mentioned yesterday, he's also a prospect for major league baseball, so there is a chance that he will sign to play minor league ball and bypass LSU entirely. Yesterday, he was drafted in the 13th round by the Houston Astros.

The good news is that the young Mr. Jones has said that he won't sign for less than top round money, and he was drafted well after the top round, primarily due to problems expected in getting him signed. The bad news is that he was drafted by the Astros, who did not have picks in the top 2 rounds, and who have reportedly been excited about Chad Jones for a long time. They have the budget to offer Jones serious money, but probably a lot less than what he's requesting.

The question is whether Chad Jones will come down off his demands enough to come to a deal with the Astros. Nothing is guaranteed.

If he makes it to LSU, I predict he'll be a starter for the football team in his second year, either at Craig Steltz's strong safety spot, Ali Highsmith's weak-side linebacker position (he could go pro), or at Luke Sanders strong-side linebacker position. Do we want him to be a big safety or a fast linebacker? Either one works. He'll also be a corner outfielder and possibly a spot-pitcher for the baseball team.

Yeah, it makes a big difference if he signs or not.

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