All 89 members of the Arizona State football team last season entered school on scholarship. Eighty-eight were there on athletic scholarship. One, left tackle Levi Jones, was there on an academic scholarship.

WHO IS LEVI JONES?

Levi Jones visits the Bengals Sunday. (Michael E. Keating photo)

More info about the Bengals' first-round pick at: • ESPN • NFL • USA Today

        Jones, the Bengals' first-round draft pick in Saturday's NFL draft, is one class short of a bachelor's degree in exercise science and is minoring in business administration. He will graduate this spring.

        Besides Jones' athleticism at 6 feet 5 1/2, 304 pounds, the Bengals like his intelligence.

        Playing tackle doesn't require making as many calls and decisions as guard or center, Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander said, “But I don't care what your business is — if you're smarter than the other guy, you're always ahead.”

        Make no mistake, the Bengals say, Jones is an athlete.

        He considered walking on to the Arizona State basketball team, but he caught the atten tion of the football staff and spent his freshman year as a defensive end on the scout team. His play earned him a football scholarship. (Jones graduated from a small high school in Eloy, Ariz., and that prevented him from earning an athletic scholarship at that time, he said.)

        He played his first varsity season as a defensive lineman and registered a sack.

        In his second season, he moved to left guard and played beside current Steelers tackle Marvel Smith. Jones played left tackle the past two seasons and was second-team All-America by Football News. He was an anchor of an offense that averaged 426 yards a game.

        He said he didn't think he would be chosen as high as No.10, but he expected to go in the top 15 and knew the Bengals were very interested.

        “I will work hard on whatever they need me to,” said Jones, describing himself as “a person with a good mind, a good work ethic. I'm athletic, I'm big, and I love playing football.”

        Jones played at 325 pounds and said he has the type of frame that can carry as much weight as the Bengals would like.

        The Bengals had Jones rated even with the first two tackles in the draft: Buffalo's Mike Williams (fourth overall) and Minnesota's Bryant McKinnie (seventh overall). Jones' stock went up after an outstanding performance at the Senior Bowl workouts.

        “We thought that there was a drop after these tackles, and comparatively speaking, this was an excellent pick for us in this spot,” coach Dick LeBeau said.

        The Bengals envision Jones competing for a starting job at left tackle where veteran Richmond Webb plays and is backed up by veteran John Jackson.

        Jones said all the right things about what he can learn from Webb, but Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander, who scouted Jones, said Jones could start sooner than later.

        “When he can help us win better than Richmond, who does a fine job, then he'll be in there,” said Alexander, who scouted guard Victor Leyva, whom the Bengals drafted in the fifth round last year. “It's all about trying to win the game on Sunday. It's not about anything else. When will that happen? It might happen soon. It has the ability to happen soon. Obviously, I think there's the potential to happen soon.”

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