Durkin's Prospect Watch: CB Byron Jones
By Dan Durkin—
(CBS) With three-wide receiver sets becoming the new base offense in the NFL, defenses can ill afford to have any coverage liabilities in their nickel (five-defensive back) sub packages. Offensive coordinators scout the rules and tendencies of opposing defenses and know how to scheme advantageous matchups. Many of those matchups come from the slot, where teams attack third cornerbacks and safeties. Thus, it's crucial to have versatile and longer athletes in the defensive backfield.
Today we take a look at one of the draft's fastest-rising defensive back prospects with experience both as a free safety and cornerback: Connecticut's Byron Jones
CB Byron Jones (6-foot, 199 pounds, 22, Connecticut)
40-yard dash: 4.4
Three-cone: 6.78
Vertical: 44 1/2"
Arm: 32"
Bio: Jones arrived in Storrs as an all-state defensive back at St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol, Conn., and he was also a 200- and 400-meter track champion and basketball player. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2010.
In 2011, Jones made eight starts as a free safety, logging 33 tackles, six passes defended, two interceptions, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. In 2012, he started all 12 games at free safety, finishing with 87 tackles, three passes defended, one-and-a-half tackles for loss and an interception.
In 2013, Jones made the transition to left cornerback, starting all 12 games and finishing with 60 tackles, eight passes defended, three interceptions and two tackles for loss. In 2014, he made seven starts at cornerback, finishing with 24 tackles, four passes defended and two interceptions. He missed five games with a torn labrum, which was surgically repaired and prevented him from doing lifting exercises at the NFL Scouting Combine. However, that surgery didn't prevent him from participating in -- and dominating -- the agility and speed drills among his position group.
In total, Jones appeared in 43 games, making 37 starts, splitting time between free safety and left cornerback.
How he fits the Bears' scheme: Chicago general manager Ryan Pace has talked about the difficulty in scouting free safeties and projecting their NFL futures. Given that Jones started out as a free safety and then transitioned to cornerback, it makes him a versatile piece who would immediately fit in the Bears' nickel sub package and give the team time to evaluate where he ultimately fits best in the NFL -- free safety or cornerback.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio also seeks versatile skills from his nickel defensive back. Just last season, the 49ers spent their first-round selection on Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward, who frequently operated from the slot cornerback role despite being a safety in college.
Jones is an elite athlete with rare lower-body explosiveness. He utilizes his leaping ability to win 50/50 passes in contested situations. He shows an innate ability to make plays on the ball in man coverage, which means he isn't spying the quarterback while he matches a receiver's pattern. He played both press man and off-coverage and looked fluid performing both techniques. He has long arms to stab and jam to disrupt a receiver's release.
Jones' combine numbers don't always show up on film. He has a tendency to guess at the top of the route, which sometimes leaves him flat-footed, and it takes a few steps for him to recover and break on the ball, leaving a window for completions. He can also clutch at receivers when he loses a step in coverage, which may lead to penalties. He must learn to play more with his feet and less with his hands.
Draft projection: Given his measurables and position versatility, Jones projects as an early second-round prospect.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
