Washington Huskies Sidney Jones IV and Elijah Qualls Make NFL Synergy

The Philadelphia Eagles doubled up on Washington Huskies players Sidney Jones IV and Elijah Qualls. Will the pair create NFL Synergy?

The NFL Draft, or any professional sports “draft” of college players into professional ranks, is like no other process.  Washington Huskies cornerback Sidney Jones IV realized that his first NFL team is the Philadelphia Eagle.   Unfortunately, three of his teammates had already been learned their  NFL Teams, and none were the same:

Wide Receiver John Ross to the Cincinnati Bengals
Cornerback Kevin King to the Green Bay Packers
Safety Budda Baker to the Arizona Cardinals

UDFA

The team also had three players who were signed as undrafted free agents:

Outside linebacker Joe Mathis to the Houston Texans
Offensive guard Jake Eldrenkamp to the Los Angeles Rams
Tight End Darrel Daniels to the Indianapolis Colts

Which leaves the two teammates drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles:

Sidney Jones IV to the Philadelphia Eagles
Elijah Qualls to the Philadelphia Eagles

Of the eight NFL hopefuls, all eight have landed successfully in the NFL.  Of the group, only two landed on the same team. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Does it make a difference?

On one hand, there is no research or evidence that I know of that suggests drafting two or more players to the same NFL team has any impact on the team or the players in terms of positive outcomes.

On the other hand, real life experience taught me that it does in so many ways that it’s impossible to track.

In summary, I just don’t know.

But it did seem to make a huge difference to Sidney Jones IV

and for Elijah Qualls?

So it appears both are happy about it.

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Right Mindset Makes All The Difference

Change is a task best left for the young. At this moment, hundreds of young athletes are preparing to take the next step of their football careers. That means they will be leaving the side of loved ones as the train and learn and familiarize themselves with the regiments of the NFL.

To a rookie, that’s a lot of change all at once. Nothing will be familiar: not the sleeping arrangements, nor the food, nor even the taste of the drinking water.  All the while, the athlete is expected to focus on one thing: football.

A familiar face can make all the difference. Just ask anyone who has served in the military about a new duty station and finding an old high school buddy already there. Not only is there a sigh of relief, but exploring the new surroundings becomes an adventure, not survival.

Next: Former Washington Huskies Kelsey Plum Impacting WNBA. Her Way

With so much to learn, so many new distractions, any familiarity is a plus. Both Jone and Qualls share a common bond, and can use that to accelerate their adaptation to the NFL. In essence, two Huskies on the same team creates “synergy”.