Strengths: Leaping ability, awareness, leaping ability, effort, leaping ability
Weaknesses: Technique, change-of-direction quickness
The Cowboys used their standard selection process again this year:
The names of top prospect on their draft board, Jerry Jones’ favorite prospect, and Stephen Jones’ favorite prospect were placed in a ten-gallon hat.
Jerry Jones drew a card, announced that his choice had been selected, and tucked the card deep inside the breast pocket of his sportcoat.
Stephen grew suspicious and demanded to see the card.
Jerry reached into his coat and searched around real hard. His eyes grew very shifty but he finally found the card. It had his prospect’s name. But it was written on the Jack of Hearts.
“Paw, I didn’t think it would come to this,” Stephen said, “again.” He drew two pearl-handled Colt revolvers and pointed them at Jerry.
“I taught you well, son,” Jerry said, slipping a derringer from his sleeve. “But not well enough.”
“We’ll have no gunfights in here, daddy and Ol’ Hoss,” Charlotte Jones Anderson said, slipping between them. “Why don’t we just draft Byron Jones and I will have catering rustle you both up some more fried okra?”
The Jones boys lowered their pistols and agreed. The Cowboys drafted Byron Jones.
Jones was notified by Jones and Jones.
Jerry Jones will then give a lengthy press conference explaining how it was his decision all along.
Finally, Jason Garrett will be notified.
Byron Jones, you may recall, set the world standing long jump record at the Combine, leaping 12 feet and 2 ¾ inches. Jones’ record would be a bigger deal if cornerbacks typically had to chase receivers over deep, 12-foot wide pits, but that rarely happens in the NFL, even at Fed Ex Field.
After Jones set the record, several scouting reports surfaced with taglines like “Jones is more than just a Combine curiosity: he can play.” I was skeptical, just as I am skeptical when the neighborhood guys tell me that the local strip joint has delicious wings. Sometimes, you want something to be true so badly (I am just here for lunch every single day for the food, not for Brandee Lynne) that your brain makes it true.
So I watched Jones’ tape. He can, indeed, play. Jones reads routes well and is very smart about sniffing out screens, reverses, and other types of misdirection. He can run with quality receivers, and his leaping ability does come into play when covering taller receivers; he intercepted a pass against Michigan in 2013 by out-jumping 6-foot-3 Jehu Chesson, for example.
Jones has two obvious flaws. Good receivers can get open on him with sharp-cutting routes, like digs and comebacks. Jones takes several extra steps to get back to the ball on such plays. Also, Jones is too quick to slam into his receiver or out-and-out tackle him before the ball arrives if he loses track of the football on a deep route. Jones is grabby on many routes, but most college cornerbacks are a little too grabby.
The Cowboys get a cornerback with untapped athletic potential in Jones; in the short term, they get a defender who is heady enough to contribute immediately as a nickel slot cornerback. A fine selection.
Grade: A-