Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Marcus Jones, Houston Cougars
Houston Cougar Marcus Jones is arguably the most versatile player in the 2022 NFL Draft. He offers elite return specialist skills, speedy player on offense, and scrappy slot corner on defense.
The Las Vegas Raiders would love to get their hands on the Cougars starting cornerback/kick return specialist via the draft.
“Small nickel with great speed and explosiveness. Jones is dynamic in coverage and as a returner,” NFL Draft Bible said.
Jones, a 5-foot 8, 185 pound cornerback, made most of his impact returning kicks.
He accumulated nearly 3,000 return yards and totaled nine touchdowns as a return specialist, six kick returns, and three punt returns for a touchdown in his college career at Troy and Houston.
Jones tied the NCAA record with two kick return touchdowns in a game against Coastal Carolina in his time at Troy.
Jones played 13 games in the 2021 season, recording 48 total tackles (37 solos), one tackle for a loss, five interceptions, 18 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble.
“Projects as a twitchy, undersized slot cornerback with playmaking traits and game-changing return talent. Jones has the hips and feet to cover slippery slot receivers and the ball-hawking instincts to make plays from zone. He can be too reliant on his athletic ability. He needs to play with better discipline and route anticipation as a pro. He can be mismatched against size but he's plenty scrappy in those battles. Jones' lack of size will hurt him with some teams while others will elevate his grade thanks to his electric ability on special teams. There could be teams that look to give him reps at receiver, where he would have more big-play opportunities,” Lance Zierlein of the NFL Network said.
After watching his tape, there’s no shying away from his speed as a defender. He explodes out of his stance and closes with great quickness.
Despite his size, Jones matched up well against anyone who lined up in front of him.
Jones is a good tackler for his size, and the first thing I saw was how he squares up at defenders and wraps the legs so rapidly.
The major concern about Jones is not his size, but how his size can translate defensively.
The ability to get off blocks in the running game can be concerning at times, and his scrappy style as a defender can be a bit troubling at the next level, and we know drawing penalties in the NFL will not get you playing time.
Jones is projected to be selected in the fifth-round as a stand alone cornerback, but can go high as the third-round for the impact he has as a return specialist.
His versatility is a plus, but it’s the return skills that gives him some security and draft stock value.
The Raiders can get the best kick return specialist in years via the draft and develop a solid backup defender.
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