Texas Football: Brandon Jones Drafted by Miami Dolphins in the Third Round

The Texas defensive back was the 70th overall pick in the NFL Draft

Former Longhorn Brandon Jones was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Friday night. 

Jones was the 70th overall pick. He's the 25th Texas defensive back taken in the last 30 NFL Drafts. 

Jones played in 46 careet games with 35 starts at Texas. He finished his career with 233 tackles, 14 for loss, 11 passes broken up and four interceptions. 

“In Brandon, they’re getting a remarkable young man who has a heart of gold and is very smart and instinctual,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “He is the best open-field tackler that I’ve ever coached. He gets them on the ground one way or another. He can come downhill and hit you in the run game, but can also roam center field and is extremely fast. I think in one play a couple years ago, we tracked him right at 23 miles-per-hour on a play where he knocked the running back out of bounds on a 4th & Goal from the 2-yard line. He’s very versatile at safety. He can play center field and can play in the box. He’s physical and will hit you. He’s one of our captains, and is a great leader.”

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

ESPN Analyst Mel Kiper, Jr.

“I love the versatility of Brandon Jones. He’s done a lot during his career at Texas. You think about this past season, he had 64 solo of his 86 tackles, which led that Longhorn defense. That’s impressive. Four-and-a-half tackles for loss, broke up four passes, had a couple of interceptions, and forced a fumble, but what I really like is he can play high and he can play in the slot. That’s what really got my attention this past year – his ability to cover as a slot, that’s critical in the NFL. Defensive coordinators love safeties that can do that and provide that type of versatility. At Texas, he was arguably, if not their best defensive player, certainly one of their top two. I thought overall this year he was an outstanding football player. That’s a really nice pick at that point in the third round for the Miami Dolphins. I’ve watched a lot of games this year, and he looked like a mid-second rounder, so you’re getting pretty good value here with a really versatile safety and an athletic safety in Brandon Jones.”