The Patriots have just drafted Cyrus Jones with the 60th overall selection. Time to revisit our pre-draft scouting report of him.
One of the pleasant surprises of the New England Patriots' 2015 season was their cornerback play. After losing the top three corners of its 2014 championship season – Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington – the team turned to the young talent it had remaining on its roster, and the young talent answered the call.
Super Bowl XLIX-hero Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan became a formidable starting duo on the outside, while undrafted rookie Justin Coleman turned into a reliable slot corner. Butler, Ryan and Coleman, together with last year's training camp standout Darryl Roberts, project to play the majority of snaps at the position in 2016 as well. Therefore, the position seems to be set.
However, the cornerback position is not without its question marks. Depth behind the starters seems to be the biggest issue – both in the short and the long term. After all, potential injuries are always a concern, while both Butler and Ryan enter the last year of their respective rookie deals and due to their recent performances will probably be highly sought after free agents. It should therefore not be a surprise if the Patriots are in the market for a cornerback.
One of the most prominent corners available in the draft, and a player on New England's draft radar, is Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Cyrus Jones. After starting his college career as a wide receiver, Jones converted to defensive back and after one season became a starter on head coach Nick Saban's team – a role he held for the final two seasons of his career in Tuscaloosa.
Jones is not only one the better cornerbacks in this year's draft class, he is also one of its best and most electrifying return men. After all, during his 2015 senior season, the 22-year old was able to return four punts for touchdowns – leading the nation and setting an Alabama all-time record.
Name: CB Cyrus Jones
School: Alabama
Stats: 37 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 FFs, 1 FR, 7 PBUs, 2 INTs; 42 punt returns, 530 yards, 4 TDs
Size: 5097, 197 lbs with a 4.49 40-yard dash, 33" vertical, 9'8 broad jump, 6.71 3-cone, 10 bench press reps
Expected Round: 3rd-4th
Strengths: Despite only playing defense since his 2013 sophomore season, Jones brings a lot of experience to table. Not only did he play his entire college career in football's best conference, the SEC, he was also used in various ways as a defensive back: Jones has played in man and zone concepts, lined up on both the left and the right defensive side (and in the slot at times), and played close to the line of scrimmage as well as off it.
Jones also possesses good physical skills. He uses his arms and his upper body strength well to re-route opposing receivers, while having good footwork and hip flexibility to stick with them even after double-moves. Furthermore, he is a physical press corner and does also not shy away from bringing this physicality to run defense.
During his college career, Jones intercepted seven passes and displayed good ball skills in the process of doing so (a remnant of his wide receiver days). In general he is dangerous with the ball in his hands, whether it is as a defensive back or as a punt returner.
Weaknesses: The biggest knock on Jones is his size. At 5'10 he could struggle at times against taller receivers, especially on jump balls. To make up for his lack of size and his average speed, he plays physical but needs to be aware of the situation when doing this on the next level to not risk any unnecessary penalties.
Another problem for Jones is turning his head around and locating the ball while in the air. This, paired with to-be-improved hip movement on comebacks, in- and out-routes, prevents him from potentially undercutting more throwing lanes. While he displayed good awareness of his assignments in man coverage, he needs to improve in zone to not risk communication breakdowns throughout the secondary.
Furthermore, Jones has to work on his decision making when returning punts: he returned an SEC-high 42 punts in 2015 and some of them should probably have been called as fair catches.
What is their role? After playing the majority of his college snaps as a starter on the perimeter, Jones' NFL career will likely begin as a nickel cornerback before taking on more responsibilities the more comfortable he grows within the professional game and the secondary he is drafted into. Furthermore, Jones offers a lot of potential in the kicking game, either as a returner or as a rusher.
Will it change from year 1 to year 2? As noted above, Jones' role will grow together with the confidence levels of him and his coaches. If he is able to prove himself a steady contributor in 2016, he becomes a candidate for a starting role the following season if, for example, Logan Ryan departs via free agency.
How many downs can he play? Four. With New England spending the majority of its time with five or more defensive backs on the field, Jones could see a lot of opportunities to play on defense. He should also instantly become a core special teamer.
Which current player will he beat out? Darryl Roberts, Rashaan Melvin and E.J. Biggers for a roster spot; Justin Coleman and Duron Harmon for playing time.
What's his ST value? Jones is one of college football's best return men, a role that he is also expected to play in the NFL. This, in turn, would allow the Patriots to keep valuable players like Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola on the sidelines. Beyond his role as a returner, Jones also has experience as a rusher. As noted above, he should instantly become a four-unit special teamer.
Does he have positional versatility? As noted above, Jones can be used in a variety of ways on both defense (man/zone, outside/inside, on/off) and special teams (returner, rusher).
Why the Patriots? Picking Jones would give the Patriots an experienced cornerback to play behind and at times alongside Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. It would also further expand the young core of the position, adding additional security in case one of the starters leaves the team next offseason.
Furthermore, Jones would be a scheme-fit considering that he has experience of playing both man and zone coverage at Alabama. He would also give New England a quality punt returner after the position struggled to hold onto the ball in 2015.
Another reason why New England might look into picking Jones is Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who is one of Belichick's closest and most trusted allies. If Saban recommends the cornerback, the Patriots will surely take a close look at him on draft day.
Why not the Patriots? The team could very well decide that its cornerback depth is fine heading into 2016. After all, Butler and Ryan had a very good 2015 season, Coleman was a quality slot corner after only joining the team in September, and Roberts has looked good last offseason. The Patriots could therefore opt to invest their resources elsewhere than on a slightly undersized cornerback.
Verdict: Cyrus Jones is an intriguing prospect. He comes from a prestigious school (with ties to Bill Belichick), has played some solid football in the nation's most competitive conference and could offer depth as a cornerback and return man. While he still has a lot of room to improve his overall game, he is already an experienced and relatively polished product – one, the Patriots could benefit from having on their roster.
Therefore, seeing New England spend one of its mid-round draft picks on Jones would not be a surprise and a solid addition to a young but talented defensive backfield.