As much as I like Levi Jones, I was a bit surprised when the War Room scouts ranked him #3 -- of all tackles in the NFL. He's a fine tackle, but third best in the league? To hell with it, I'll take it. It's not like I'm going to complain that someone else talks my team up; that would just be dumb. Jones signed an extension that locked up him until 2012 with $16.3 million guaranteed and $40 million total on July 25, 2006.
"I'm extremely happy with how they view me," said Jones, now the NFL's fourth highest-paid offensive lineman. "That means a lot to me. I've played through a lot of pain and I thank God. I'm blessed. It's kind of the light at the end of the tunnel."
After missing 10 games with an assortment knee and ankle injuries, Jones began 2007 on the bench because the team didn't feel he was healthy enough to start. He disagreed. Jones didn't start until the fourth game of the season (Patriots) and gave up three sacks to Jared Allen on his second start against the Chiefs. It was clear afterwards that Jones' awful performance was an aberration as he contributed to a record-breaking performance, as a pass blocking unit, giving up only 17 sacks for the entire season -- smoking their previous low (21) in 2005. Then on draft day, it became known that Levi Jones, while not actively asking for a trade, wouldn't mind the idea for one.
Palmer was ranked #3 among quarterbacks, Rudi Johnson came in 19th among running backs, Chad Johnson came in 8th (though we're not sure how his off-season whining reduces his status if you're a "War Room" scout) and T.J. came in 13th at wide receiver.