Basketball part of Cardinals OT Josh Jones’ patient path to NFL

Josh Jones’ didn’t take a traditional route to become a professional football player.

The Arizona Cardinals’ 2020 third-round draft pick wasn’t a high-level recruit out of high school but committed to the Houston Cougars when incoming head coach Tom Herman and eight coaches drove to his house for a visit, Jones told Doug & Wolf on Arizona Sports.

He was sold on staying close to home right there — a night before he was set to visit a Texas Tech program led by then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Jones redshirted his freshman year at Houston, played under two more head coaches and learned under four offensive coordinators over five seasons with the Cougars. In the draft process, he battled concerns about his technique, the stigma of his production against non-Power Five competition and the status of being a fifth-year senior in an era when offensive tackles bound for the NFL leave after their junior seasons.

Also, he’s relatively new to the sport.

“I played basketball since I was 3 years old up until my junior year (of high school),” Jones told Doug & Wolf on Thursday. “My junior year of high school, that’s when I started playing football, I transferred to (George) Bush High School.”

There, in Richmond, Texas, he played with wing Kelly Oubre Jr., who rose up recruiting boards, starred at Kansas one year and now plays for the Phoenix Suns.

Jones, obviously, took a longer path to the pros by switching sports. The decision was made for him.

“I had one offer in basketball and I had like 28 in football,” he said. “I was like, OK, I guess this is where I’m supposed to be at.

“Football is my calling. I’m happy I chose it.”

Indeed, Jones’ path to the NFL was a long one. Just consider the 2020 draft itself.

He was the eighth player off the board at his position. Viewed by some as a potential first-round choice, he waited until the end of Day 2 of the event to hear his name called as the Cardinals picked him 72nd overall.

In five years with the Houston Cougars, he played in a new system almost by the year. Jones considered transferring as a grad student to prove himself against Power Five competition but ultimately decided against it.

His senior year, the Cougars’ staff sold Jones to Kingsbury and Arizona GM Steve Keim not only because of his play but because of his leadership qualities as Houston went 4-8 under first-year coach Dana Holgorsen.

Jones believes the coaching turnover and initial failures during his first college season helped him learn the game.

“Man, I didn’t think I would ever be able to start, play in a football game,” Jones said. “I was a basketball player growing up.

“When I first got to the University of Houston, man, I was getting tore up by likely some great NFL players right now because we had a great defense then, and I was getting tossed around. First fall camp was hard on me, so just being able to put myself in position to start after my redshirt year and start from then on, it was probably the toughest time I overcame. I’m glad I did it.”

Now with coronavirus restrictions preventing the Cardinals from gathering in person, Jones enters the 2020 season behind left tackle D.J. Humphries and potential starting right tackles Marcus Gilbert and Justin Murray. Arizona might be projecting the 6-foot-5, 319-pounder as a swing tackle to begin his rookie year.

“As of right now, it’s either-or, left or right tackle. I let them know I’m able to switch over to right. Wherever they try to put me at, I’m going to try to perform my best,” Jones said on a Thursday video call.

Jones played exclusively as a left tackle at Houston and last year allowed two pressures, earning the highest Pro Football Focus grade for an offensive tackle ever. He has worked on his right-side technique in preparation for the draft and believes his work can improve as he mentally reps switching from left to right side.

Jones is confident he can produce for the Cardinals but he told Doug & Wolf that he won’t consider it a failure if he’s not starting in 2020. He probably believes in patience by this point.

He credits those basketball-playing days for some of his natural abilities.

“With the quiet feet, man, I think that refers back to basketball,” Jones said. “I’m able to move my feet with the best of ’em,”

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