Joel Klatt thinks whoever selects former Purdue wideout Charlie Jones in the upcoming NFL Draft will be getting a steal.

Jones, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound wideout who is one of the older prospects in the draft class, is hoping to hear his name called later this month when the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway. He went to the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and showed off a 4.43 40 time, a 36.5-inch vertical, and some strong route running.

It wasn’t a blazing-fast 40-time, but Jones was still sub-4.5. And even if a team is left wanting by his athleticism scores, it’s hard to argue with his production.

“Charlie Jones made maybe one of the best decisions ever in terms of a transferring player and created value for himself this past year transferring from Iowa to Purdue,” Klatt said on a recent edition of his podcast. “Him and Aidan O’Connell were a great connection with Purdue. Win a division, go play for a Big Ten title in large part due to his production. He led the nation in catches last year with 110. Second in yards with over 1,300. And he was 5th in the country with 12 touchdowns. I mean, he’s a really good player.”

And not only was the production unmatched, he was one of the highest-graded wideouts at the Power 5 level. Pro Football Focus gave him the 5th-best receiving grade among qualified P5 players (13th-best nationally). In 154 targets, he was only saddled with 3 drops. And he led the country in contested catches with 22.

That’s why Klatt thinks he’ll be a steal.

“What I love about his game is he’s got this ability, without blazing fast speed or quickness, to understand how to pace and tempo his route in order to create spacing. I think that’s a real instinctual thing for a wide receiver, and he’s got that,” Klatt said. “He just kind of understands it. He’s a very smart player. He’s a guy that catches the ball in contested areas and he’s not gonna get bothered if he’s covered.

“There are some players that come into the league that have been so gifted throughout their lives that they do not understand how to make a contested catch. That’s not the case with Charlie Jones. Chuck Sizzle can make the catch, and he did it very often for Purdue last year. I think he adds value not only as a wide receiver but as a return man as well. … Guess what, you put him on the field and he’s going to produce because he’s got the instincts and the intellect to process information and to go out there and make catches.”