Nekari Jones, Victory Christian 2014 WR is not a household name. He does not have a lot of recruiting attention, play on a powerhouse team or surrounded by a bunch of division one athletes.
What he does have is skill. When I evaluate receivers, I look for:
Catches the ball, doesn’t fight it
Run crisp routes
Catches the ball in traffic
Explosive
Can be a possession receiving and get deep
“YAC” = Yards after catch. Is he a deep threat from a short pass
Does he block downfield
For each of the evaluation categories, Jones would get “Does really well or good.” This past weekend, Jones participated in the Central Florida 7v7 Invitational as a member of the Polk County Dream Team. Would have been team MVP if there was a such thing for this tourney. Caught the ball really, really well. Matter of fact, he really didn’t catch the ball…he snagged it. Ran really good routes, used his body to stay between he and the defender and was very consistent.
Q & A WITH NEKARI JONES
STRONG
My strengths as a prospect are first, My work ethic. I know what it’s like not be able to play, so i’ll never take a day off or play off. I can see the field very well when running routes due to me being a film rat. I study defenses to better understand where and why I should be in certain places in certain scenarios as a wide receiver. Smooth route runner and I’d say I’m sure handed. I’m big on finishing plays strong and getting yards after the catch.
GETTING BETTER
I can and will improve on top end speed. Stride length and stride frequency is what I’m training to increase.
MY GUY
The player on my team that I constantly compete with is a Cornerback/ATH, his Name is Brice Ford. He’s fast, strong and aggressive. At 5’8, 165 pounds he bench presses 325. We love going at it and making each other better.
RECRUITING ATTENTION
Unfortunately, I haven’t received anything from any schools. So I’m hoping there’s interest everywhere, I just haven’t been informed, YET.
VISITS
I plan on visiting USF, UCF, FAU, FIU, UCLA, Louisville. The list goes on. But I’m not sure when and where i’ll be able to go. My coach and I will sort things out when he officially comes down in June.
INFLUENCE
My biggest influence when it comes to athletics is certainly Ray Lewis. I love his frame of mind and the way he grasps the big picture of success and what it takes to be successful. Love the Grind and embraces the struggle. I try to imply that in every asset of my game.