Something else that comes with being the 21st pick is plenty of expectations. That's especially true coming to a Patriots team that's failed to develop a young pass rusher for the bulk of the Bill Belichick era. With Mark Anderson having moved on to Buffalo and Andre Carter a free agent coming off a torn quad, the need for Jones to contribute early in his career may be even greater.
Jones himself added to the expectations he'll faced when he was asked on a conference call shortly after joining the team which current NFL players he models his game after or compares himself to.
The answers were former No. 2 overall pick and current Bears pass rusher Julius Peppers and 2011 first-round pick Aldon Smith, who was a sack machine for the 49ers as a rookie last fall.
I guess that confidence comes when your family also includes current UFC champion Jon "Bones" Jones as well as Ravens defensive tackle Arthur Jones.
Jones will face high expectations. But when Bill Belichick trades up to get a pass rusher, you have to think the future Hall of Fame coach has a lot of faith in the player. Kind of like when Belichick supposedly didn't draft inside linebackers high in the draft, until he took Pro Bowler Jerod Mayo in the first round.
Jones will be expected to do a lot as a rookie. He increased the hype with his self-comparisons to Peppers and Smith. But he also clearly has the potential to live up to the hype.
