Art Jones: Worth The Wait

Despite the injuries and the deluge of defensive linemen ahead of him in the rankings, it was pretty surprising to get past the 3rd and even the 4th rounds and not hear Arthur Jones' name called.  You can imagine that it was slightly more stressful for him.  In the end, the wait came to an end in the fifth round when the Baltimore Ravens made Art their selection.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, the two-time All-Big East first-teamer got the phone call he’d been waiting for. Jones learned that the Baltimore Ravens would make him the 26th selection of the fifth round. Jones spoke with Ravens owner Steven Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome, and head coach John Harbaugh, among others.

"When I got that phone call, nothing mattered anymore," said Jones, 23. "I’m going to let Baltimore know they got a steal in the draft."

Considering both SU players drafted consider themselves the steal of the draft, something tells me there's about 100 more steals of the draft out there as well.

The mega-bonus of getting drafted by the Ravens is that Art will be reunited with former SU DL Jameel McClain, someone Jones is extremely familiar with.

"He was my big brother at SU," Jones said of McClain, who signed with Baltimore as a free agent in 2008 and was the only undrafted rookie to make the team that year, according to the Ravens web site.

Jones now has the daunting task of proving himself on one of the NFL's most respected defenses while also overcoming perceived slights against his athleticism and ability to stay healthy.  Safe to say there's no question in his case that Syracuse fans will be rooting for him.