Jaylon Jones Believes He Can Be Jalen Ramsey-Type CB for Colts
Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has a type of cornerback that he likes for his defensive scheme.
Going back to his days as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, Bradley has always loved big, physical cornerbacks that are good in press coverage and can handle zone responsibilities. Pro Bowl cornerbacks like Richard Sherman and Jalen Ramsey have had great success under Bradley.
Keeping this in mind, it was no shock when the Colts drafted Julius Brents and Darius Rush this spring as both are big, long, and physical corners that are good in press coverage and comfortable in zone. The Colts went for the trifecta and added another cornerback with those same attributes in the seventh round, taking Jaylon Jones with the No.221 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"I had a draft watch party," Jones said on draft day. "I just had people close to me, family and friends come and support me on this great day. Today has been one of the best days of my life.”
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At 6'2" and 200 pounds, Jones has the size Bradley covets in his cornerbacks. In three years at Texas A&M, Jones started 32 games while tallying 98 tackles, 17 pass deflections, and three interceptions. Jones models his game after some of the best big cornerbacks in the NFL, including Ramsey.
“Me being a bigger corner, I look at guys like Jalen Ramsey, Marlon Humphrey," Jones explained. "Guys like that, I watch how aggressive they are at the line, messing up routes from the get-go. All the assets in my game, I just feel like I’m a long, rangy corner, very physical, get to the ball. I’m very intelligent – just slowing the game down for myself and seeing what it looks like, seeing what it’s for and just attacking and bringing 110 percent every day. That’s the type of player you’re getting in Indianapolis.”
The Colts like to have bigger, physical cornerbacks, allowing them to play more press coverage. While smaller cornerbacks can play press coverage as well, it is easier for bigger and more physical cornerbacks to jam wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, throwing off the timing of the route. It makes the quarterback hold the ball longer than he wants to and makes the life of the wide receiver that much harder.
Luckily for Jones, he already has experience playing press coverage from his days with the Aggies.
“I was about to say in college the scheme we played, I was in press a lot, especially my sophomore year to the boundary," Jones revealed. "Especially this year with Coach Durk (DJ Durkin) coming in as well, we did a lot of Cover-1 man. So definitely a lot of experience with press.”
Jones was one of the top recruits in his class coming out of high school. He was the No.1 safety recruit in the 2020 class and the No.21 recruit nationally. When you are a highly-ranked recruit like Jones, certain expectations come with that, such as postseason awards and leading your team to wins.
While Jones had a solid career at Texas A&M, he never made an All-American team or an All-Big 12 team. He never won a postseason award for his performance on the field. Some critics pointed to this as a reason Jones slipped in the draft.
Whatever the reason, Jones did not waver in his belief that he would find a home with the right organization.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
“I believed," Jones admitted. "God was going to believe in me and I was going to take any organization. I just thank Indianapolis as an organization to believe in me because you have to believe all the chips in yourself man. I really do appreciate them man, and I wasn’t really stressed about the waiting game. You’ve just got to believe in yourself and you can make anything come true.”
While Jones did not make it into the 2023 Indy Draft Guide, below is an excerpt from Dane Brugler's The Beast on how Jones projects in the NFL:
Jones passes the eye test off the bus, and he shows pedal-and-match skills to maintain phase early in the route. However, it is too easy for receivers to find blind spots in his coverage, and he will be an easy target for officials with his hands-on approach. Overall, Jones has the size, physicality and ball skills that will entice teams that put a premium on those traits, but he will be left struggling to recover versus NFL route runners until he becomes more refined. Several teams are scouting him as a safety.
While there has been no word about whether the Colts are considering Jones at safety, Jones will likely have to earn a role on special teams right away as he works on his game. Jones has experience on special teams from college, having played on punt return and punt coverage all three seasons with the Aggies. But whatever role he plays in Indy this season, Jones is just excited to get to work.
"I love all people. I’ve got a big heart. I’m just ready to get around the family in Indianapolis – all my brothers and the staff and get this thing rolling man. Excited.”
The Colts are excited they were able to pick up a talent like Jones so late in the draft. With the right development, Jones may eventually have more in common with Ramsey and Humphrey than just being a bigger cornerback. He could find himself making game-changing plays for the Colts on Sundays.
More Colts Draft Picks
- Round 1 Pick 4: QB Anthony Richardson - Florida
- Round 2 Pick 44: CB Julius Brents - Kansas State
- Round 3 Pick 79: WR Josh Downs - North Carolina
- Round 4 Pick 106: OT Blake Freeland - BYU
- Round 4 Pick 110: DT Adetomiwa Adebawore - Northwestern
- Round 5 Pick 138: CB Darius Rush - South Carolina
- Round 5 Pick 158: S Daniel Scott - California
- Round 5 Pick 162: TE Will Mallory - Miami
- Round 5 Pick 176: RB Evan Hull - Northwestern
- Round 6 Pick 211: DE Titus Leo - Wagner
- Round 7 Pick 236: OT Jake Witt - Northern Michigan
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