Packers' Datone Jones credits yoga for improvement heading into 2015

Green Bay Packers defensive end Datone Jones is entering a make-or-break season, and he's picked up a new practice that's helped him improve dramatically over the offseason.

Jones was selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but his play was largely underwhelming throughout his first two campaigns, as he recorded five career sacks.

The 24-year-old started doing yoga over the summer, and the practice may already be paying dividends.

"I saw my whole game change," Jones said to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "This year, I'm not putting any pressure on myself or anything but with what I know now, I tell B.J. (Raji) all the time, 'If I knew what I know now, it'd be a different story.' And that's how you develop in the NFL. You're constantly getting smarter. You're constantly finding new ways to do things."

Jones is in an uphill battle against Josh Boyd for a starting spot at defensive end. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound end compared himself to a cheetah as a result of his newfound flexibility and explosiveness.

"I'm a really explosive guy," Jones said. "So being that explosive, the science of it, I'm tighter than other guys. I'm springier. It's like a cheetah. Cheetahs don't have to do anything. That's the only animal that can just get up and take off, get its food and relax and be able to keep doing it because it's already primed to do it. With me, I'm a really explosive guy. I'm quick off the ball, I'm really fast, I'm really strong."

Green Bay is a leading Super Bowl candidate, and Jones was forced to make a drastic improvement lest he be nailed to the bench. With Jones appearing to become a more flexible athlete, he may finally capitalize on the electric potential the Packers saw in him on draft night.