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
Career highs
10catches, career highvs. Purdue, 2021125receiving yards, career highat Vanderbilt, 20202receiving touchdowns, career highat Vanderbilt, 2020Honors
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
Returns
Defense
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
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | USC | 1 | WR | Yr 1 | ||
| 2018 | USC | 1 | WR | Yr 2 | ||
| 2019 | USC | 1 | WR | Yr 3 | ||
| 2020 | Tennessee | 1 | WR | Yr 4 | ||
| 2021 | USC | 1 | WR | Sr. (Yr 5) | ||
| 2021 | Tennessee | 1 | WR | Sr. (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
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | USC | 15 | -0.22 | – | – | -3.3 | – |
| 2018 | USC | 37 | 0.34 | 20th (n=497) | 0.53 | 12.5 | 6% |
| 2019 | USC | 6 | 0.44 | – | – | 2.6 | – |
| 2020 | Tennessee | 35 | 0.66 | 65th (n=346) | 0.55 | 22.9 | 5% |
| 2021 | Tennessee | 77 | 0.83 | 72nd (n=410) | 0.67 | 64.1 | 8% |
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
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 38–6 | – | – | – | 2 | 52 | – |
| Sep 11 | vs. | L 34–41 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 122 | – |
| Sep 18 | vs. | W 56–0 | 3 | 65 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 3 |
| Sep 25 | at | L 14–38 | 3 | 64 | 0 | 4 | 82 | – |
| Oct 2 | at | W 62–24 | 7 | 79 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 2 |
| Oct 9 | vs. | W 45–20 | 6 | 103 | 1 | – | – | 2 |
| Oct 16 | vs. | L 26–31 | 6 | 93 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 2 |
| Oct 23 | at | L 24–52 | 3 | 18 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Nov 6 | at | W 45–42 | 5 | 100 | 1 | 1 | 31 | – |
| Nov 13 | vs. | L 17–41 | 8 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 4 |
| Nov 20 | vs. | W 60–14 | 6 | 103 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 3 |
| Nov 27 | vs. | W 45–21 | 2 | 22 | 0 | – | – | 1 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. | L 45–48 | 10 | 85 | 1 | 5 | 122 | 1 |
2020 Tennessee 10 games, 22 catches, 280 yards, 3 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | at | W 31–27 | 5 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 66 | – |
| Oct 3 | vs. | W 35–12 | 1 | 22 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 10 | at | L 21–44 | – | – | – | 3 | 63 | – |
| Oct 17 | vs. | L 7–34 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 71 | – |
| Oct 24 | vs. | L 17–48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 33 | – |
| Nov 7 | at | L 13–24 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nov 21 | at | L 17–30 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 40 | – |
| Dec 5 | vs. | L 19–31 | 4 | 70 | 1 | 4 | 69 | – |
| Dec 12 | at | W 42–17 | 7 | 125 | 2 | 1 | 21 | – |
| Dec 19 | vs. | L 13–34 | – | – | – | 1 | 35 | – |
2019 USC 11 games, 29 returns, 704 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. | W 31–23 | – | – | – | 4 | 161 | – |
| Sep 7 | vs. | W 45–20 | – | – | – | 4 | 79 | – |
| Sep 14 | at | L 27–30 | – | – | – | 3 | 67 | – |
| Sep 20 | vs. | W 30–23 | – | – | – | 5 | 102 | – |
| Sep 28 | at | L 14–28 | – | – | – | 3 | 78 | – |
| Oct 12 | at | L 27–30 | – | – | – | 2 | 48 | – |
| Oct 19 | vs. | W 41–14 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | – |
| Oct 25 | at | W 35–31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 24 | – |
| Nov 2 | vs. | L 24–56 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 87 | – |
| Nov 16 | at | W 41–17 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 24 | – |
| Dec 27 ✦ | vs. | L 24–49 | – | – | – | 1 | 19 | – |
2018 USC 11 games, 24 catches, 266 yards, 1 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | vs. | W 43–21 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 16 | – |
| Sep 15 | at | L 14–37 | 4 | 71 | 0 | 2 | 55 | – |
| Sep 21 | vs. | W 39–36 | 2 | 48 | 0 | 4 | 91 | – |
| Sep 29 | at | W 24–20 | 2 | 22 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 13 | vs. | W 31–20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 1 |
| Oct 20 | at | L 28–41 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 30 | – |
| Oct 27 | vs. | L 35–38 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 87 | – |
| Nov 3 | at | W 38–21 | – | – | – | 3 | 76 | – |
| Nov 10 | vs. | L 14–15 | 4 | 8 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Nov 17 | at | L 27–34 | 1 | 45 | 1 | 2 | 40 | – |
| Nov 24 | vs. | L 17–24 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 57 | – |
2017 USC 13 games, 31 returns, 760 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 49–31 | – | – | – | 2 | 61 | – |
| Sep 9 | vs. | W 42–24 | 1 | 16 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Sep 16 | vs. | W 27–24 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 88 | – |
| Sep 23 | at | W 30–20 | – | – | – | 2 | 55 | – |
| Sep 29 | at | L 27–30 | – | – | – | 1 | 24 | – |
| Oct 7 | vs. | W 38–10 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 45 | – |
| Oct 14 | vs. | W 28–27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 25 | – |
| Oct 21 | at | L 14–49 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 144 | – |
| Oct 28 | at | W 48–17 | – | – | – | 1 | 17 | – |
| Nov 4 | vs. | W 49–35 | – | – | – | 5 | 115 | – |
| Nov 11 | at | W 38–24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | – |
| Nov 18 | vs. | W 28–23 | – | – | – | 2 | 85 | – |
| Dec 29 ✦ | vs. | L 7–24 | – | – | – | 5 | 78 | – |
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).
| Drill | Combine 2022 | Combine or pro day 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5′11¾″ | |
| Weight | 204 lb | |
| Arm length | 30⅞″ | |
| Hand size | 9¾″ | |
| Wingspan | 73½″W | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.31 s | |
| 10-yard split | 1.50 sW | |
| Vertical jump | 33″ | |
| Broad jump | 10′1″ | |
| Bench press | 18 repsW | |
| 3-cone drill | 7.32 sW | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.51 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.
| Season | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Chicago Bears | 11 | 7 | 107 | 1 |
| 2023 | Chicago Bears | 13 | 4 | 20 | 0 |
| 2024 | Carolina Panthers | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 2025 | Seattle Seahawks | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 (so far) | Seattle Seahawks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 32 | 12 | 135 | 1 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.
