One of the best parts of the NFL Draft is finding players who may not be the “best” in the draft, but are definitely fun to watch.

Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones certainly falls into this category. Jones is unlikely to be one of the first cornerbacks to leave the board in April. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11, 171 pounds and has just “average” speed, with a 4.51-second dash for 40 yards.

But he’s just Amusing. Jones plays the game like a Jack Russell terrier – with unlimited energy, the contraction of a coil spring and the competitiveness of a much bigger dog.

Jones isn’t the big presser many are making fun of for the New York Giants this year, but could his energetic, aggressive play appeal to the hyper-aggressive Wink Martindale?

Perspective: Jack Jones (0)
Games watched: vs. BYU (2021), vs. UCLA (2021), vs. Utah (2021), Washington State (2021)

Measurable

Career statistics

Games played: 38

Tackles: 132
Tackles For A Defeat: 2.5
Bags: 1.0
Forced Fumbles: 5
Passes defended: 26
Interception: ten

Statistics 2021

Games played: 11

Tackles: 41
Tackles For A Defeat: 2.5
Bags: 1.0
Forced Fumbles: 3
Passes defended: 6
Interception: 3

Quick Summary

Better: Speed, Agility, Change of Direction, Competitive Tenacity, Mental Processing
Worse: Size, high speed
Projection: A starting slot machine corner with a variety of patterns.

game tape

(Jones is the BC number for the state of Arizona “0”)

Full report

Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones has the right combination of speed, agility, fluidity and competitive tenacity to play the NFL-level slot position.

Jones typically lined up as an outside corner in the Arizona State defense, although he also had experience moving inside to the lunge position. Jones played press-man, off-man, and zone coverage in the ASU defense and executed each of those techniques well.

Jones has quick feet and loose, flowing hips for man coverage, allowing him to phase into the receiver and stay in tight coverage throughout the course. He also shows good use of the hand in press-man coverage, firing fast, accurate jams at receivers to disrupt their timing without tangling.

Jones has a compact, quick and balanced coaster both in man coverage and getting depth in zone coverage. His flowing hips allow him to transition easily from his coaster to running with the receiver, and he’s able to do so without losing momentum.

He gets good depth in his drop zone and shows good discipline in receiving and passing receivers moving through his area of ​​responsibility. Jones does a good job of keeping his eyes in the backfield and reacting quickly to what he sees. He has solid range in area coverage and fires up quickly once he identifies where the ball is going. Jones also shows a good understanding of offensive concepts, rarely being fooled by misdirection or getting caught up in the traffic of manufactured goods.

Jones is an aggressive running defender who fears nothing on the downhill. He is a willful, physical hitter and fully prepared to take on blockers. It also shows some advantages like a lightning wedge. Although he doesn’t rush often, he disguised his rushes well and showed good speed and timing when shooting gaps.

Jones is likely to be slot-restricted at the NFL level and unlikely to be considered an outside corner. His lack of height, length, mass and playing strength could all be a liability when playing against NFL-caliber wide receivers. At 5-foot-11 and 171 pounds, he’s significantly undersized and, while very competitive, he’ll measure up poorly against bigger wide receivers.

Likewise, Jones’ lack of size shows in his run defense. He is, again, a very competitive defender, but he lacks the mass to beat the blocks of the biggest receivers and can be pushed off the ball.

Overall rating: 6.9

Projection

Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones will almost certainly need to be a full-time corner at the NFL level. However, he has the traits to project himself as a starting corner for most defenses.

Given that the 11-man package is the base offense and the nickel defense is the de facto base defense in the NFL, Jones’ ability to stick with the fastest and strongest slot receivers unstable throughout their routes. Jones has many traits to be an effective covering corner for men, although his lack of bulk and length could cause him problems playing at the line of scrimmage on the outside. And while he’s very quick and smooth as a corner cover, he only has medium long speed, which can make it difficult for him to track NFL receivers on vertical routes.

However, those quick feet and flowing hips will allow him to execute man coverage rules in zone coverages like a lunge wedge, giving his future defense more options for designing coverage patterns. Salvation

Jones also has advantages as a blitzer for more aggressive defenses. He disguises and times his rushes well, and has plenty of speed to pull gaps before the blockers can get into position to stop him.

And while Jones doesn’t land many interceptions, his speed and competitiveness make him disruptive at the point of capture. He will fight to get the ball away from a receiver and will make “survival on the ground” very difficult.

The fact that Jones is a “slot only” corner will likely knock him down on the draft boards, but he should be able to push for a starting job early in his career.