FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Patriots rookie Chandler Jones has heard the comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants.
Both are 6-foot-5 defensive ends who excel at stuffing the run and rushing the quarterback. Both were first-round draft choices from colleges near their hometowns. And both figure to be major contributors to their teams for a long time.
But Jones wants to carve his own path - whether it's powering past would-be blockers or chasing down speedy running backs.
He said on Monday that Pierre-Paul is a great player but not the same type as him. Pierre-Paul was drafted with the 15th pick in 2010 out of South Florida. He had 16 1-2 sacks last season. Jones was taken with the 21st pick out of Syracuse and could begin the season as a starter.
