Jon Gaines II

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Jon Gaines II

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| current_team = Arizona Cardinals

| number = 59

| position = Offensive guard

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1999|5|24|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 303

| high_school = Marquette University High
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

| college = UCLA (2018–2022)

| undraftedyear =

| draftyear = 2023

| draftround = 4

| draftpick = 122

| pastteams =

Arizona Cardinals ({{NFL Year|2023}}–present)

| status = Active

| highlights =

| statlabel1 =

| statvalue1 =

| statlabel2 =

| statvalue2 =

| pfr = GainJo00

}}

Jon Gaines II (born May 24, 1999) is an American professional football offensive guard for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins.

Early life

Gaines was born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.{{Cite web |title=Jon Gaines II |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4367199/jon-gaines-ii |publisher=ESPN}} He attended Marquette University High School, and participated in football and track and field.{{Cite web |title=Jon Gaines II |url=https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/jon-gaines-ii/11240 |publisher=UCLA Bruins}} Playing tackle in football, he team captain, a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State honorable mention in 2017 and was ranked the tenth-best player in the state as a three-star recruit.{{Cite magazine |date=September 15, 2022 |title=NFL Draft Profile: Jon Gaines II, Offensive Lineman, UCLA Bruins |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/jongainesii |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}{{Cite news |last=Nguyen, Thuc Nhi |date=February 7, 2018 |title=OL Jon Gaines signs with UCLA football |work=Orange County Register |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/07/ol-jon-gaines-signs-with-ucla-football/}} The 128th-best ranked tackle nationally,{{Cite web |last=Stroud, Chandler |date=March 11, 2023 |title=2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles: UCLA OG Jon Gaines II |url=https://steelersdepot.com/2023/03/2023-nfl-draft-player-profiles-ucla-og-jon-gaines-ii/ |website=SteelersDepot.com}} Gaines chose to commit to UCLA over offers from Northern Illinois, California, Iowa and Purdue.

College career

As a true freshman at UCLA in 2018, Gaines appeared in one match, the season finale against Stanford. He began seeing regular action as a redshirt freshman in 2019, appearing in every game with a single start.{{Cite magazine |last=Royer, Benjamin |date=December 27, 2022 |title=UCLA Football OL Jon Gaines II Accepts NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Invite |url=https://www.si.com/college/ucla/football/ucla-football-ol-jon-gaines-ii-accepts-nflpa-collegiate-bowl-invite |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}{{Cite web |last=Pierson, Tracy |date=January 1, 2023 |title=Confirmed: Jon Gaines Forgoes Final Year of Eligibility |url=https://247sports.com/college/ucla/Article/UCLA-Football-Confirmed-Jon-Gaines-Forgoes-Final-Year-of-Eligibility-201858259/ |website=247Sports}} He helped block for 1,000-yard rusher Joshua Kelley that season and contributed to the team's streak of five consecutive 200-yard rushing games, the first time they had accomplished this in over 40 years. During the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Gaines started four out of seven games.

Gaines became a full-time starter in 2021, and started games at each of the three line positions (tackle, guard, center). He played a major role in Zach Charbonnet's 1000-yard season that year, as well as the school's leading of the Pac-12 Conference in rushing yards-per-game. As a senior in 2022, he was key in Charbonnet's second 1000-yard season and helped UCLA lead the conference in yards-per-carry. A starter in every game, Gaines also appeared on all 932 snaps at right guard, and was a member of a line that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.{{Cite magazine |last=Falato, Nick |date=March 13, 2023 |title=New York Giants Draft Prospect: IOL Jon Gaines II |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/giants/draft/new-york-giants-draft-prospect-iol-jon-gaines-ii |magazine=Sports Illustrated}} He was an honorable mention all-conference choice and announced after the year that he was foregoing his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft and play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.{{Cite web |last=McDannald, Tracy |date=December 23, 2022 |title=Kazmeir Allen, Jon Gaines II leaving UCLA to pursue NFL |url=https://ucla.rivals.com/news/kazmeir-allen-jon-gaines-ii-leaving-ucla-to-pursue-nfl |website=Rivals.com}} He finished his stint at UCLA having appeared on 2,382 snaps, and only allowed five total sacks and 52 pressures.

Professional career

Gaines was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and posted the best short shuttle among its participants. He was projected as being selected between the third and fifth rounds of the 2023 NFL draft.{{Cite web |last=Cummings, Ian |date=March 18, 2023 |title=2023 7-Round NFL Mock Draft: C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Jalen Carter Find New Homes in Round 1 |url=https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2023-nfl-mock-draft-c-j-stroud-anthony-richardson-jalen-carter-find-new-homes-in-round-1/ |publisher=Pro Football Network}}{{Cite news |last=Sheeran, John |date=March 8, 2023 |title=Bengals o-line desperately needs Jon Gaines' elite athleticism |work=A to Z Sports |url=https://atozsports.com/cincinnati/bengals-nfl-draft-jon-gaines-ucla-bruins-football/}}

{{NFL predraft

| height ft = 6

| height in = 4

| weight = 303

| dash = 5.01

| ten split = 1.73

| twenty split = 2.80

| shuttle = 4.45

| cone drill = 7.31

| vertical = 32.5

| broad ft = 9

| broad in = 6

| bench = 19

| arm span = 33 5/8

| hand span = 10 1/8

| note = Sources:{{Cite web |title=Jon Gaines II Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jon-gaines-ii/32004741-4952-8003-df7b-681a2f35ed49 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=NFL.com}}{{Cite web |title=2023 NFL Draft Scout Jon Gaines II College Football Profile |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1022286&DraftYear=2023 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=DraftScout.com}}

}}

Gaines was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.{{Cite web |last=Urban, Darren |date=April 29, 2023 |title=Cardinals Take Offensive Lineman Jon Gaines II In Fourth Round |url=https://www.azcardinals.com/news/cardinals-take-offensive-lineman-jon-gaines-ii-in-fourth-round |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=AZCardinals.com}} He was placed on injured reserve on August 29, 2023, ending his season.{{Cite web |last=Urban, Darren |date=August 29, 2023 |title=Cardinals Make Moves To Get To 53-Man Roster |url=https://www.azcardinals.com/news/arizona-cardinals-make-moves-to-get-to-53-man-roster |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=AZCardinals.com}}

References

External links

[https://www.azcardinals.com/team/players-roster/jon-gaines-ii/ Arizona Cardinals bio]
[https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/jon-gaines-ii/11240 UCLA Bruins bio]