National Football League

Redskins GM compares rookie RB to Marshawn Lynch

Published May. 10, 2015 1:56 a.m. ET

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There is confidence in your draft class, and then there is utter insanity. New Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan is bordering between the two after finishing up his first draft with the team.

In a conversation with ESPN 980 in D.C., McCloughan didn’t mince words when talking about rookie third-round pick Matt Jones (h/t CSN Washington).

"Matt Jones reminds me a lot—a lot—of Marshawn from the standpoint that he’s north-south, he’s downhill and he’s not afraid of contact."

That’s mighty high praise from someone who was actually Seattle’s senior personnel executive when Lynch was dealt to the Seahawks back in 2010. Interestingly enough, Washington was able to nab Jones -- a Florida product -- at the bottom of the third round after making a draft-day deal with Seattle.

As it relates to what Jones does on the field, it is pretty similar to Lynch. At 6-foot-2 and 231 pounds, he was among the most physically imposing running backs in the entire draft. NFL Media’s Mike Mayock also had some interesting comments regarding Jones when the Redskins picked him up at the end of Day 2.

"That is a big specimen right there. Jones is a big, physical downhill guy who needs to learn patience, but he has a lot of talent."

For those of you who don’t remember, that was pretty much the same brief analysis that was given to Lynch when he entered the league from Cal in 2007.

While Washington isn’t necessarily planning on replacing Alfred Morris as the team’s lead back this season, there is little doubting Jones’ talent. It will be interesting to see how Jay Gruden and company utilize him as a rookie.

Jones put up 1,431 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons with the Gators. This past year saw him go for 882 total yards and an average of nearly five yards per attempts.

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