Jon Gaines II NFL Draft Scouting Report

IOL, UCLA Bruins

Jon Gaines II is an experienced interior offensive lineman who has started multiple seasons for the UCLA Bruins. Gaines has aligned at multiple spots for the Bruins, seeing snaps at center, right guard, and right tackle, but his main position was at right guard throughout his career. Gaines is an athletic and agile offensive lineman who will excel in a zone running scheme. 

In the run game, Gaines is quick out of his stance and comes off the ball with good pad level. He has quick feet and fluid hips to get across the defender’s face on reach blocks but he must work with his hands when he initiates contact—he often has his hands outside rather than inside the shoulders, which hinders his ability to steer and control his defender. Gaines is excellent on the move and in space. He has the speed and agility to get out to his spot on pulls and gets to the second level with ease. 

Gaines is the definition of a wall-off blocker as he lacks power and strength as a run blocker. He doesn’t generate push at the point of attack and serves more as a wall for the defender and shields his back than actually driving the defender down the field. With that said, Gaines does show a physical nature to his game and works to sustain the best way he can. Physical toughness isn’t an issue with Gaines. 

In the passing game, Gaines displays quick and active feet to mirror and slide against interior rushes. He is excellent at picking up stunts and games and has the foot quickness to protect his edges against penetrating interior defenders. Gaines struggles when he is challenged with power on his head and lacks the ability to anchor when it comes to bull rush. He can get driven back against power rushers and doesn’t have the lower-body power to recover and sit down. Gaines plays with his hands low at his waist when the ball is snapped. Because of that, his punch is late and defenders can win his chest. He must improve his overall hand use at the next level. 

Overall, Gaines has impressive athleticism and could be functional in a zone scheme, but his lack of power and strength is a massive concern.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Footwork
• Quickness
• Effort/competitiveness

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Hand use
• Power
• Anchor

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6′ 4”

Weight: 303 lbs

Arm Length: 33 5/8”

Hand Size: 10 1/8” 

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: 5.01s

Vertical Jump: 32.5”

Broad Jump: 9′ 6”

Short-Shuttle: 4.45s

Three-Cone: 7.31s

Bench Reps: TBD

Ideal Role: Backup IOL

Scheme Fit: Zone scheme only

TDN Consensus Grade: 69.50/100 (Sixth-Round Value)

• Weissman Grade: 69.50/100

Written By: Brentley Weissman

Exposures: USC (2022), Oregon (2022), Washington (2022)

Jon Gaines II NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.