Zay Jones in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: United States Naval Academy Photo Archive, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Receiver, East Carolina, 2013–⁠16

Zay Jones

Number
No. 7
Height
6′1″
Hometown
Austin, TX
Born
Mar 30, 1995, in Dallas, Texas

Wikipedia readers: about 3,818 a month over the past year

Zay Jones played receiver at East Carolina (2013–⁠16). The Buffalo Bills took Jones in round 2, No. 37 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,731
Receiving yards, 2016 (East Carolina, 3–⁠9)
Best game
212 yards
Vs. Navy, week 12, 2016: No. 2 receiving game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 2
In FBS in receiving yards, 2016
Drafted
No. 37
Round 2, 2017 NFL Draft (Buffalo Bills)

Honors

All-America: Sporting News 2016; Walter Camp 2016; ESPN 2016

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2013East Carolina626049.7559
2014East Carolina8183010.2541
2015East Carolina981,09911.2536
2016East Carolina1561,73111.1877
Career3974,26410.72377

Returns

SeasonTeamKRYdsTDPRYdsTD
2013East Carolina4980–––
2014East Carolina254750180
2015East Carolina1230–––
Career305960180

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.PosHt
2013East Carolina7WR
2014East Carolina7WR
2015East Carolina7WR
2016East Carolina7WR6′1″

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
2016East Carolina2230.5250th (n=489)0.52116.623%

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.

Before the draft

Played in the 2017 Senior Bowl (North team, lost 15–⁠16).

DrillCombine 2017
Height6′2⅛″
Weight201 lb
Arm length32½″
Hand size9″
Wingspan77¾″W
40-yard dash4.45 s
10-yard split1.55 sW
Vertical jump36½″
Broad jump11′1″
Bench press15 reps
3-cone drill6.79 s
20-yard shuttle4.01 s

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

9 seasons, 107 games with a stat; latest team: Arizona Cardinals.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2017Buffalo Bills14273162
2018Buffalo Bills16566527
2019Oakland Raiders14272160
2020Las Vegas Raiders11141541
2021Las Vegas Raiders15475461
2022Jacksonville Jaguars16828235
2023Jacksonville Jaguars9343212
2024Arizona Cardinals68840
2025Arizona Cardinals6121830
NFL career1073073,29518

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0), matched to him by his draft pick and college (Player ids: DynastyProcess (GPL-3.0)). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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