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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
Appearing in every offensive snap outside of his first two games, third year OL Emery Jones Jr continues to develop at a remarkable, frightening pace....not only becoming one of LSU's two best offensive linemen, but currently ranking among their most important overall players.
Grinding his way into an elite, physically dominant right tackle under the guidance of OL Coach Brad Davis, receiving second team All-SEC honors for 2023 as well as being named SEC OL of the Week @ Missouri, the former Catholic High standout is an established institution at this point, ascending from freshman revelation to sophomore team pillar for the purple & gold.
After fronting the nation's #1 offense & protecting Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels, Emery Jones has even bigger ambitions as a junior this fall: winning a national championship & clinching the Joe Moore Award trophy as the nation's top offensive line unit.
Bookended by fellow All-American third year Tiger Will Campbell, next to veteran guards Garrett Dellinger & Miles Frazier, this is a group of four who are entering their 3rd season starting alongside one another, and their chemistry & experience turned telepathic at times in 2023.
But, one question I wonder: did Jayden Daniels' unparalleled dual threat prowess cover up for some blocking deficiencies by LSU's offensive line???
Little errors or matchup losses here or there may not have been punished when your quarterback escapes at a freakish pace....however, could some of these situations (I found in deep film study) come back to haunt LSU's offensive line through the interior this year, without the #2 overall pick at QB?
Despite some trepidation about a red shirt freshman at center, the ends have been on near lockdown over the last 2 seasons due to Emery Jones Jr and Will Campbell.
Emery himself produced a ridiculous 2023 stats wise, allowing 2 sacks, 1 QB hit and 18 total pressures his way across 708 offensive snaps. Emery was even better on passing downs: from 440 pass blocking plays, Jones Jr allowed just 1 QB hit, 0 sacks, and a Pro Football Focus efficiency grade of 97.6.
This bodes well for QB Garrett Nussmeier's ultimate desire to throw the ball all over the yard, flanked by two of the top 5 best offensive linemen in America.
Projected by most analysts or Draft sites as a 1st Round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Emery Jones has been nothing short of a singular, empirical, irreplaceable trenchman since his arrival on campus in late May 2022....and during this upcoming campaign, within a more offensive line-focused attack, I believe we're about to witness just how athletic & physically dominant Emery can be.
This is a young Tiger you cannot take for granted....LSU are lucky to have one offensive lineman with the pedigree of Emery Jones Jr....but then you add Will Campbell, a future top 5 pick, the veterans on the inside, Brad Davis-entrusted red shirt freshman center DJ Chester, and you have something truly special in the trenches for LSU.
Expect to watch Emery Jones Jr take over games this fall, ushering the Tigers' ground game to an apex, releasing backfield superstars Kaleb Jackson and Josh Williams into the second level, showcasing far more post-snap movement & exotic blocking schemes than we've seen during Kelly's tenure.....with big #50 leading the way, one brutal block after another.
WATCH OUR CAREER SPANNING CONVO W/ EMERY 👇👀🎥
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
I honestly think this line will be just as good if not better than last year. We will run a little more, and I think the blocking assignments may be even more sound when you have a good idea where your QB will be.