Lane's Jones drawing attention

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/18/07

Clark Atlanta coach Ted Bahhur knows all about wide receiver Jacoby Jones.

NFL scouts know him, too.

"The kid is the real deal," Bahhur said. "You are talking about an athletic receiver; he has some moves."

Jones will be on display this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Jones, from Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., is being billed as this season's Marques Colston. He's 6 feet 4, 208 pounds, and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds.

Colston, a seventh-round pick last season by the Saints from Hosftra, went on to make most all-rookie teams.

Jones' presence on the NFL radar screen started to grow after he kept scorching Division I-A defensive backs at the Shrine Bowl all-star game.

"I got a chance to show my talents and let them know that I could play with Division I guys as well," Jones said via telephone from Indianapolis, where he's working out in preparation for the combine.

Jones caught five passes for 75 yards and scored one touchdown against Clark, which had the nation's top Division II defense.

"Jacoby is the man," Bahhur said. "He's one of the best receivers I've seen in a long time."

Jones started to flourish as a junior playing in Lane coach Johnny Cole's HOBO — High Octane Big-play Offense.

"We threw the ball maybe 95 percent of the game," Jones said. "We try to score as many points as we can."

While Jones didn't torch Clark, he put on a show against Fort Valley.

"I had 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown," said Jones, also a punt and kickoff returner. "I had 312 all-purpose yards."

Track and field was Jones' original sport. Coming out of Marian Anderson High in New Orleans, he was a 5-7, 160-pound hurdler. He signed with Southeastern Louisiana.

After one year, he transferred to Lane and had a 9-inch growth spurt.

"There's no question that he's one of the surprise prospects," Cole said. "We've been getting a lot of traffic from scouts coming in here. We probably have had all 32 teams come in here. They couldn't believe his size and how fast that he is. He's definitely a surprise."

Jones, who's represented by Harold Lewis of St. Louis, is not worrying about the hype. He doesn't know which teams are most interested.

"I tell my agent to handle that because I don't really want to know all of that," Jones said. "I'll find out on draft day."

Here are a few other players from lower-division schools who could turn some heads at the combine workouts:

• Michael Allan, tight end, Whitworth: He is a load — 6-7, 264 pounds — from a Division III school in Bellevue, Wash. Allan had 53 catches for 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior.

Allan played in the Shrine Bowl for former Falcons coach Dan Reeves, who coached the West squad. "I was impressed," Reeves said. "I worked with the tight ends and quarterbacks. He retained things pretty well."

Allan will have to run a good time at the combine to jump up on some draft boards.

"It's hard to find a guy that big who can run as well as he could," Reeves said. "He definitely has the physical tools."

• Justin Durant, inside linebacker, Hampton: Was the three-time defensive player of the year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. A little short at 6 feet, but will strike you.

• Zak DeOssie, inside linebacker, Brown: At 6-4, 245 pounds, has good size. Was a three-time All-Ivy League selection with 315 tackles over his career