Receiver, USC and Tennessee, 2017–⁠21

Velus Jones Jr.

Lettered 2017–⁠19 (school media guide)

Number
No. 1
Height
6′0″
Weight
200 lb
Class (2021)
Senior
Hometown
Saraland, AL
Born
May 11, 1997

Velus Jones Jr. played receiver at USC (2017–⁠19), Tennessee (2020), USC (2021) and Tennessee (2021). The Chicago Bears took Jones in round 3, No. 71 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
807
Receiving yards, 2021 (Tennessee, 7–⁠6)
Drafted
No. 71
Round 3, 2022 NFL Draft (Chicago Bears)

Career highs

10catches, career highvs. Purdue, 2021125receiving yards, career highat Vanderbilt, 20202receiving touchdowns, career highat Vanderbilt, 2020

Honors

Team titles: Pac-12 champions, 2017

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2017USC6467.7016
2018USC2426611.1145
2019USC6355.808
2020Tennessee2228012.7374
2021Tennessee6280713.0772
Career1201,43411.91174

Returns

SeasonTeamKRYdsTDPRYdsTD
2017USC317600–––
2018USC214830110
2019USC297041–––
2020Tennessee183980–––
2021Tennessee246281182720
Career1232,9732192730

Defense

SeasonTeamTklSoloTFLSacksPDHur
2018USC100000
2019USC320000
2020Tennessee110000
2021Tennessee110000
Career640000

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2017USC1WRYr 1
2018USC1WRYr 2
2019USC1WRYr 3
2020Tennessee1WRYr 4
2021USC1WRSr. (Yr 5)
2021Tennessee1WRSr. (Yr 5)6′0″200

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2017USC15-0.22––-3.3–
2018USC370.3420th (n=497)0.5312.56%
2019USC60.44––2.6–
2020Tennessee350.6665th (n=346)0.5522.95%
2021Tennessee770.8372nd (n=410)0.6764.18%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2021 Tennessee 13 games, 62 catches, 807 yards, 7 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDKRYdsPR
Sep 2vs.Bowling GreenW 38–⁠6–––252–
Sep 11vs.PittsburghL 34–⁠4133104122–
Sep 18vs.Tennessee TechW 56–⁠036511233
Sep 25atFloridaL 14–⁠383640482–
Oct 2atMissouriW 62–⁠2477911212
Oct 9vs.South CarolinaW 45–⁠2061031––2
Oct 16vs.Ole MissL 26–⁠3169304592
Oct 23atAlabamaL 24–⁠523181–––
Nov 6atKentuckyW 45–⁠4251001131–
Nov 13vs.GeorgiaL 17–⁠4184411204
Nov 20vs.South AlabamaW 60–⁠14610301963
Nov 27vs.VanderbiltW 45–⁠212220––1
Dec 30 ✦vs.PurdueL 45–⁠481085151221
2020 Tennessee 10 games, 22 catches, 280 yards, 3 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDKRYdsPR
Sep 26atSouth CarolinaW 31–⁠275290266–
Oct 3vs.MissouriW 35–⁠121220–––
Oct 10atGeorgiaL 21–⁠44–––363–
Oct 17vs.KentuckyL 7–⁠34230371–
Oct 24vs.AlabamaL 17–⁠48140233–
Nov 7atArkansasL 13–⁠24––––––
Nov 21atAuburnL 17–⁠302270240–
Dec 5vs.FloridaL 19–⁠314701469–
Dec 12atVanderbiltW 42–⁠1771252121–
Dec 19vs.Texas A&ML 13–⁠34–––135–
2019 USC 11 games, 29 returns, 704 yards
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDKRYdsPR
Aug 31vs.Fresno StateW 31–⁠23–––4161–
Sep 7vs.StanfordW 45–⁠20–––479–
Sep 14atBYUL 27–⁠30–––367–
Sep 20vs.UtahW 30–⁠23–––5102–
Sep 28atWashingtonL 14–⁠28–––378–
Oct 12atNotre DameL 27–⁠30–––248–
Oct 19vs.ArizonaW 41–⁠14160115–
Oct 25atColoradoW 35–⁠31150124–
Nov 2vs.OregonL 24–⁠562120487–
Nov 16atCaliforniaW 41–⁠172120124–
Dec 27 ✦vs.IowaL 24–⁠49–––119–
2018 USC 11 games, 24 catches, 266 yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDKRYdsPR
Sep 1vs.UNLVW 43–⁠212160116–
Sep 15atTexasL 14–⁠374710255–
Sep 21vs.Washington StateW 39–⁠362480491–
Sep 29atArizonaW 24–⁠202220–––
Oct 13vs.ColoradoW 31–⁠202601311
Oct 20atUtahL 28–⁠41340130–
Oct 27vs.Arizona StateL 35–⁠381220487–
Nov 3atOregon StateW 38–⁠21–––376–
Nov 10vs.CaliforniaL 14–⁠15480–––
Nov 17atUCLAL 27–⁠341451240–
Nov 24vs.Notre DameL 17–⁠243240357–
2017 USC 13 games, 31 returns, 760 yards
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDKRYdsPR
Sep 2vs.Western MichiganW 49–⁠31–––261–
Sep 9vs.StanfordW 42–⁠241160–––
Sep 16vs.TexasW 27–⁠24190388–
Sep 23atCaliforniaW 30–⁠20–––255–
Sep 29atWashington StateL 27–⁠30–––124–
Oct 7vs.Oregon StateW 38–⁠10150245–
Oct 14vs.UtahW 28–⁠27140125–
Oct 21atNotre DameL 14–⁠491806144–
Oct 28atArizona StateW 48–⁠17–––117–
Nov 4vs.ArizonaW 49–⁠35–––5115–
Nov 11atColoradoW 38–⁠24140123–
Nov 18vs.UCLAW 28–⁠23–––285–
Dec 29 ✦vs.Ohio StateL 7–⁠24–––578–

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

Played in the 2022 Senior Bowl (American team, lost 10–⁠20).

DrillCombine 2022Combine or pro day 2022
Height5′11¾″
Weight204 lb
Arm length30⅞″
Hand size9¾″
Wingspan73½″W
40-yard dash4.31 s
10-yard split1.50 sW
Vertical jump33″
Broad jump10′1″
Bench press18 repsW
3-cone drill7.32 sW
20-yard shuttle4.51 sW

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

5 seasons, 32 games with a stat; latest team: Seattle Seahawks.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2022Chicago Bears1171071
2023Chicago Bears134200
2024Carolina Panthers2180
2025Seattle Seahawks5000
2026 (so far)Seattle Seahawks1000
NFL career32121351

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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