2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Marcus Jones, Houston

Houston defensive back Marcus Jones offers depth at cornerback and can contribute on special teams. What else could he bring to the Giants if drafted? Nick explores the film.

Marcus Jones, CB

Height: 5’8
Weight: 185 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Houston
Arm length: 28 ⅞”
Hands: 8 ⅞”

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A former three-star recruit out of Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama,  Jones was the 204th ranked cornerback, and the 66th Alabama recruit during the 2017 cycle. 

Jones initially attended Troy where he was an All-American special teams player in 2018 with three kickoff returns for touchdowns. He transferred to Houston and redshirted the 2019 season before earning All-American status in 2020 as a punt returner; he led the FBS in punt return yards (337) in 2020.

Notables

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Jones was a dynamic special teams player at Troy and he became one of the better defensive backs in the country at Houston, despite being undersized. He was the 2017 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, and a two-time All-American.

He also was a fourth team alternate All-American for PFF in 2020 as a CB. Jones was so versatile with the football in his hands that Houston used him in some offensive packages; he saw 15 targets, catching 10 of them for 109-yards and a touchdown in 2021.

As a CB, Jones was feisty, good in man coverage, and disruptive. He recorded 40 tackles, 15 STOPs, with a 48% catch rate, five interceptions, and 12 passes defended in 2021. Jones had excellent PFF grades on defense and in coverage over the last three seasons.

He ended his college career with a 54.3% catch rate with ten interceptions and 29 passes defended. Jones is one of the best return specialists who also offers a lot of upside as a defensive back, preferably in the slot. He did not test at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.

Strengths

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• Excellent overall athlete
• Great burst, change of direction, lateral agility, and overall speed
• Very elusive with the football in his hands
• Has all the athletic ability in the world to thrive at CB and as a kick returner
• Showed solid foot efficiency at the LOS (struggled a bit in press against Memphis WR Calvin Austin III - Q2, 13:34)
• Great fluidity to open and close his hips, solid discipline with his hips at the LOS
• Good acceleration after flipping his hips, doesn’t lose momentum
• Zone instincts are good; understands route coverage, his leverage, and how to account for his lack of length
• Small, but feisty - a very tough player who doesn’t back down
• Smart football player
• Physical through the catch point with excellent ball skills
• Very good in run support, stays square to his target most the time and wraps ball carriers up
• Had a 7.5% missed tackle rate in college while being very undersized
• Sensational kick returner

 

Weaknesses/Can Improve

• Very undersized
• Ranks in the zero percentile for arm length
• Short arms hurt his ability to shed blocks while in space
• Can get a bit grabby further away from the line of scrimmage
• Will likely only be a slot cornerback/star - length prevents him from succeeding on the boundary

Summary

Overall, Marcus Jones is an elite kick returner who can be a starting slot cornerback in the NFL. He has good man coverage skills, excellent athletic ability, and the necessary processing to thrive in zone.

He takes good angles to the football, plays physically through the catch point, and is a smart/tough football player. His biggest weaknesses can’t be fixed; he’s drastically undersized for a cornerback. Jones’ skill-set will be very valued on both defense and special teams, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go on Day 2.

GRADE: 6.30

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