NFL Draft Profile: Jaylon Jones, Cornerback, Texas A&M Aggies

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Texas A&M CB Jaylon Jones

Jaylon Jones
Texas A&M Aggies

#17
Pos: CB
Ht: 6020
Wt: 200
Hand: 0900
Arm: 3068
Wing: 7668
40: 4.57
DOB: 10/14/1997
Hometown: Cibolo, TX
High School: Steele
Eligibility: 2023

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One Liner:

Jones possesses an excellent build for a defensive back that he uses to dominate the catch point and contribute in the run game, but he lacks the agility and looseness of a top cornerback prospect.

Evaluation:

Jones experienced most of his success in 2021 as a boundary corner, but he received plenty of opportunities playing to the field in 2022. He is a young prospect who only turns 21 years old this coming spring. Jones offers good size and density for a cornerback with adequate arm length to contest catches from various angles. He appears much more comfortable playing off the line of scrimmage than in press. While Jones had his impactful moments as a defender on the field side in 2022, he looked more at home playing along the boundary in 2021. He is a physical corner who willingly contributes to the run game. Jones quickly triggers downhill against short passes and the run. He makes his fair share of one-on-one tackles in space. In man coverage, he displays excellent patience early in the stem to avoid false steps and stay connected to the receiver. Despite lacking high-end speed, Jones does a good job staying attached to receivers on crossing routes over the middle of the field. The former five-star recruit rarely surrenders inside leverage, forcing receivers to rely on space toward the sideline. He displays good zone discipline in coverage and makes impressive plays on the ball when allowed to read the quarterback’s eyes. Jones extends to make plays on the ball outside of his frame. He displays veteran savvy in his multiple ways to combat receivers at the catch point. Jones will poke the ball out from behind receivers, swat their hands after the ball makes contact to break their control, or stick his hand between the receivers to make controlling the ball impossible. He has amassed significant special teams experience with snaps on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. Unfortunately, Jones still has many areas for improvement. He struggles to consistently defeat blocking wide receivers on his way to the football. Missed tackles are still a concern for Jones, and he sometimes lacks violence coming downhill. The junior committed five penalties in 2022. His staggered and slow footwork and some stiffness in his movements prevent him from mirroring more agile receivers. Jones resorts to grabbing or hooking the offensive player when his physical limitations lead to him falling a step behind. He struggled to handle Jameson Williams’ stop-start agility and speed in 2021. Jones lacks the high-end speed to deal with burners, and he’s not fluid, sudden, or twitchy enough to combat more agile receivers. He’s a little high-hipped, which leads to a high and slow backpedal. Improved footwork could eliminate some moments when Jones stumbles while attempting to change direction or has to declare his hips early as the receiver overtakes his backpedal. He isn’t very assertive or physical early in the rep or throughout the route, which allows quicker plays to threaten him downfield. Jones needs to squeeze outside releases along the sideline more often. He struggles to stay attached to receivers on comeback routes. With his physical profile and limitations in man coverage, Jones projects best as a zone defensive back who might shift to safety.

Grade:

4th Round

Background: 

Originally from Cibolo, Texas. Attended Steele High School and was an absolutely dominant player while in high school. He was rated as a five-star prospect and the top safety in the country by 247Sports. Played at Texas A&M University. As a freshman, he started in all ten games totaling thirty tackles and one interception. During his sophomore season, he started in all twelve games, totaling thirty-five tackles. He also had two interceptions and eight passes defended, which ranked second-best on the team. During the 2022 season, he played in ten games, totaling thirty-three tackles and had one fumble recovery. He declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.