Abry Jones the most underrated player on the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line looks stacked, but one of the most important players might be a lesser-known name – Abry Jones.

After signing Malik Jackson and Calais Campbell in back-to-back offseasons, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally have some blue chip players along the defensive line.

If someone like Yannick Ngakoue or Dante Fowler Jr. develops as edge rusher, the Jaguars should have a nice set of starters up front.

One name I didn’t mention is defensive tackle Abry Jones, but that might change if the Jaguars can win a decent amount of games this year.

Pete Prisco over at CBS went through the most underrated players on each team and he went with Abry Jones for the Jaguars.

"Underrated: DT Abry JonesWho? That’s right, a backup inside player is their most underrated, which is why he was rewarded with a new deal this spring and he will be a starter in 2017. He is a power player who continues to improve each year."

Pete Prisco isn’t alone in noticing the terrific play of Abry Jones. Pro Football Focus recently listed Jones as one of the most improved players of 2016.

"2015 season grade: 56.62016 season grade: 81.5What a breakout season for Abry Jones, huh? There’s no doubt he earned his four-year contract because of his much-improved play in 2016. Prior to this past season, Jones failed to rank higher than 82nd at his position until finishing as our 21st-ranked interior defender this year. He saw an uptick in pass-rush effectiveness, but, like Jenkins, the main reason for his better play was due to his prowess in the run game. In 2015, Jones made a run stop on only 5.1 percent of run snaps and finished the season with 10 run stops. 2016 was a different story, as he totaled 22 run stops, finishing with a run-stop percentage of 8.7 that ranked 20th among 75 qualified interior defenders."

With Roy Miller gone, Jones will be the primary “nose” up front with the role of stuffing the run. He was pretty darn good at that last year, and he should be even more effective with a perennial pro bowler like Calais Campbell next to him.

Additionally, Jones should see his snap count increase with the departure of Miller and the evolution of the Jaguars defensive scheme.

In head coach Gus Bradley’s previous scheme, the roles of each defensive lineman were strictly defined and left little room for players to switch it up depending on the opponent. While Jones is primarily a dominant run defender, he’s shown the ability to rush up field and can do so if the matchup dictates he should.

Overall, the Jaguars defensive line should be extremely versatile with players like Jones, Campbell, Jackson, and even Fowler (if he can stay out of trouble.