Chiefs Roll the Dice on Another Day 3 Defensive Back
The Kansas City Chiefs made a single pick in each of the 2023 NFL Draft's first six rounds, and general manager Brett Veach left pick No. 250 overall as the final slated selection for the draft's host city.
With the 250th pick, a seventh-round selection, Kansas City selected Ball State cornerback Nic Jones.
Jones, who spent all four of his seasons with the Cardinals, made 64 tackles and picked off three passes at Ball State. He also broke up 19 passes over the course of his collegiate career, with 12 of them coming in 2022 as a senior. Pro Football Focus' tracking indicates that Jones logged 660 snaps at a traditional cornerback alignment this past season, with 42 others being in the slot and 23 being in the box.
The NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated gave Jones a sixth-round grade, with a portion of his scouting report breakdown being below:
Even at a lower competition level, Jones struggled with missed tackles. He dives low on ball carriers instead of wrapping up and sometimes slides off tackles because of his limited play strength. The fourth-year junior takes questionable angles to the football as a run defender. He struggles to fight through or disengage from wide receiver blocks. Jones can be physically outmatched at the catch point by larger receivers, especially in the red zone. His punches in press coverage need to be firmer and more accurate.
Jones gives receivers a significant cushion in off man, sometimes surrendering the first down without a fight. He bites on double moves and gets turned around. Jones’ speed prevents him from consistently staying attached to crossing routes. He frequently doesn’t get his head around for the ball. Jones is quick to open his hips, which allows wide receivers to cross his face and turn him around. He currently projects as a mid to late day three pick who sees action early in his career as a versatile special teamer and reserve hybrid nickel/field corner.
Jones didn't fare particularly well during the pre-draft testing process, measuring just under six feet tall and weighing 190 pounds with a max bench press of nine reps. His agility and explosiveness testing was also merely "okay" on the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) scale. Jones projects to translate his speed and experience to special teams at the next level if he doesn't find a role on defense.
