Zay Jones

Former wide receiver at East Carolina. 2016: 156 catches, 1,731 receiving yards, 8 TD.

WR · East Carolina · #7

6′1″ · Austin, TX

Buffalo — drafted 2017, Rd 2, Pick 5, #37 overall

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 1463 nationally · Signed with East Carolina

Statement game12 rec · 212 yds · 2 TDvs Navy (FBS) · L 31-66

Top 0.1% receiving yards game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at East Carolina. 2016: 156 catches, 1,731 receiving yards, 8 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to East Carolina in 2013.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at East Carolina, 3,660 receiving yards — drafted at #37 overall by Buffalo.

His career

He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

The week the volume broke through — put up 206 yds at Tulsa.Tulsa · L 24-452016

2013

Signed with East Carolina3-star out of Austin

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1463 national

CFB

College

East Carolina

2014–2016

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted (yet)

Coaching lineage · 2014–2016

2 coaches

2014–2015

Ruffin McNeill

East Carolina

2016

Scottie Montgomery

East Carolina

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Ruffin McNeill → Scottie Montgomery. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

BuffaloEntering 10th NFL season

#37Rd 2 · Pick 5

BuffaloEntering 10th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2016 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2014East Carolina8-5HC: Ruffin McNeill · Pass-leaning, fast tempo

2015East Carolina5-7HC: Ruffin McNeill · Balanced

2016East Carolina3-9HC: Scottie Montgomery · Pass-leaning, fast tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score percentiles

7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (100th percentile). Strength: rec yards (100th percentile). Concern: yards / catch (22nd percentile).

Box-score rates (7)

Receptions#1 / 524 · 100th pct

156

Rec yards#2 / 524 · 100th pct

1731

Long catch#50 / 524 · 90th pct

Rec TDs#46 / 524 · 90th pct

Rush yards#110 / 257 · 57th pct

Rush TDs#56 / 257 · 39th pct

Yards / catch#406 / 524 · 22nd pct

11.1

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2016 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	12.5	158	13.0	1.0
Road6g	13.5	131	9.8	0.3

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	13.7	138	10.8	0.5
Weeks 8+6g	12.3	151	12.1	0.8

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Blake Harrell

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2016

Starter

A locked-in starting job.

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career stats

Season	Team
2016	East Carolina	156	1,731	11.1	8	--
2015	East Carolina	98	1,099	11.2	5	--
2014	East Carolina	81	830	10.2	5	--
Career		335	3,660	10.9	18	--

Season	Team
2016	East Carolina	4	24	--	--	--
2015	East Carolina	1	-6	23	--	--
2014	East Carolina	--	--	475	8	--
Career		5	18	498	8	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2016

W 33–30

vs NC State

13 rush yds (1 car)

Edged out NC State at home in a shootout.

With P. Nelson — 297 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 67.1 · 3 rush yds (5 car) · J. Summers — 41 rush yds (6 car) · 2 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2016 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 52-7vs Western Carolina	10	180	18.0	1	33	180-yard receiving day
Wk 2	W 33-30vs NC State	7	73	10.4	0	17
Wk 3	L 15-20@ South Carolina	22	190	8.6	0	15	190-yard receiving day
Wk 4	L 17-54@ Virginia Tech	10	115	11.5	0	33
Wk 5	L 29-47vs UCF	15	122	8.1	1	26
Wk 6	L 22-38@ South Florida	18	145	8.1	1	20	145-yard receiving day
Wk 8	L 19-31@ Cincinnati	11	69	6.3	0	17
Wk 9	W 41-3vs UConn	19	185	9.7	1	21	185-yard receiving day
Wk 10	L 24-45@ Tulsa	13	206	15.8	1	51	206-yard receiving day
Wk 11	L 31-55vs SMU	12	173	14.4	1	39	173-yard receiving day
Wk 12	L 31-66vs Navy	12	212	17.7	2	77	Season-high 212 yds
Wk 13	L 10-37@ Temple	7	61	8.7	0	14
Total		156	1731	11.4	8	77

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology