At 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, Nick Jones doesn’t look like a former receiver.
But he was a pass-catcher — and a talented one at that — until being moved to the offensive line as his Grade 11 year approached.
“I used to think my cousins were lame because they played O-line,” says Jones, who is to make his second CFL start for the Saskatchewan Roughriders when they oppose the Montreal Alouettes on Friday (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“I’d say, ‘I’d never be an O-lineman.’ I didn’t like it at first, but you actually start liking it once you can really put a dude’s head in the ground.”
The switch was made when Jones was a student at Byhalia (Miss.) High School.
“You ever heard of DK Metcalf?” he says of the Seattle Seahawks’ 6-foot-4, 235-pound star. “I was that big at receiver.
“My high school coach (John Danley) is like a father to me. He was going to put me at middle linebacker until he came in in the summertime and saw how big he was. Then he put me at right tackle.”
It proved to be the right move.
Success in the trenches was Jones’s ticket to East Mississippi Community College. In 2019, he was named the ninth-best junior college offensive tackle in the United States by 247Sports.
Then came an unwanted intermission. East Mississippi’s 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, but Jones didn’t disappear from the radar.
He was recruited by 10 colleges before deciding on the University of Mississippi — a major SEC school — and spending three years with the Bulldogs.
Over three NCAA seasons, he dressed for 32 games and started 25.
The Seahawks took notice and reached out to Jones, but bad luck and bad timing conspired against him.
“It’s crazy,” he says. “I was supposed to be going to Seattle, but I ended up burning my foot the day before I was supposed to leave.
“My kitchen caught on fire. I tried to put the fire out and a bunch of fire hit my foot.”
The blaze was extinguished, but so was the trip to Seattle.
“My foot is actually pretty good,” he says. “I recovered faster than they expected.
“Life can hit you with things that are really unexpected. You’ve just got to be ready.”
He was ready to play, as it turned out, when the Roughriders came calling. His signing was announced by the CFL team on July 16.
Just 23 days later, he made his pro football debut — in a 22-22 overtime tie against the host Ottawa REDBLACKS on Aug. 8.
Jones, 23, was the Roughriders’ fourth starting right tackle of the season, following Jermarcus Hardrick (who is out with a quad injury), Jacob Brammer (hamstring) and Brandon Council (who retired after one start).
“A lot of guys have the luxury of kind of sitting back and learning everything,” Head Coach Corey Mace says. “For (Jones), he was kind of thrust into the situation.
“Going out there and being able to run the offence is tough enough, but going up against a good front like Ottawa has, he held his own, for sure.
“We’re asking more of him this week and I know he’s up for the challenge.”
Part of the challenge involves an adjustment to the 12-a-side Canadian game after several years of immersion in the 11-player version of the sport.
As well, the defensive linemen in Canada are required to line up one yard away from the line of scrimmage.
“It’s a big difference, especially when you’ve got somebody bull-rushing every game and they’ve already got a step ahead of you,” Jones says. “You’ve just got to get better with your technique.”
Offensive Line Coach Edwin Harrison has played a key role in the process. Advice from veteran CFL linemen Peter Godber and Logan Ferland has also been invaluable.
“You’ve just really got to learn fast and learn from the people who are in front of you, like Logan and Peter,” an appreciative Jones says. “They’ve really been helping me learn the playbook and do what I’m supposed to do.
“It’s really helpful when you’re playing beside people who have been in the league and know how to win and get the job done.”
It is also beneficial to be blessed with the kind of athleticism that, once upon a time, allowed him to concentrate on pass catching instead of pass protection.
“I used to be deadly at receiver,” Jones says with a smile, “so, yeah, I do miss it.”
