Elijah Jones, CB Boston College: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Jones was a three-star athlete recruit from Cardinal Hayes High School in Bronx, N.Y. in the class of 2018

Boston College’s Elijah Jones is one of the best press-man cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft. He received a fourth round grade but could rise into the third round if a team with the right defensive scheme goes shopping for help in the secondary.

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Elijah Jones, CB Boston College: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Sixth-year outside cornerback from Harlem, N.Y.

Background: Jones was a three-star athlete recruit from Cardinal Hayes High School in Bronx, N.Y. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 793 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,014 for On3.com. Jones was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. As a high school junior, he made 30 receptions for 657 yards and seven touchdowns on offense and intercepted a pass on defense. As a senior, Jones caught 39 passes for 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns, carried the ball ten times for 156 yards and three touchdowns, and totaled 22 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He was a captain of the football team and also competed in track and field.

Injuries & Off-Field: Exited 2022 Clemson and Wake Forest games early with injuries, missed 2022 Syracuse game with injury, ruled out for the season and missed final four games of 2023 but no injury designation was given

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2023 First Team All-ACC

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, some experience operating in the slot, more than 2,700 defensive snaps, 76-inch wingspan and 31.5-inch arms check boxes, cut down on penalties in 2022, high-energy CB who fires up the defense with big plays, tracks his assignment across the formation well during pre-snap motion, two-handed punch in press coverage makes strong contact, bumps smaller receivers off their routes, drives outside releases into the sideline, instinctive corner who makes aggressive plays on the ball, reads the QB’s eyes and baits him into throws, good route recognition and trigger, undercuts routes for PBUs, times contact at the catch point to force incompletions, doesn’t fall for stutter-go, reads the receiver’s eyes to determine when the ball is arriving, active hands at the catch point, strong awareness of the sticks to prevent first downs, good wrap-up tackler after the catch, recognizes and attacks screens, competes to get off WR stalk blocks, willing to step into the hole to make a tackle in the run game, sets the edge in run defense from the slot

Cons: Age, a little high-cut, not a twitchy athlete, backpedal is high and slow, lacks elite speed, has to really work to stay attached on crossers, limited times where his press truly ends the rep immediately, early route contact will draw flags, resorts to grabbing or bumping against sudden WR cuts, committed nine penalties in the past two years, allows separation at the top of comeback routes, allows separation on sharp out-breaking routes, not the best mirroring at the stem’s peak, overtaken and blown past in off-man, burst and acceleration tested vs. clean releases, explosive receivers threaten him vertically when he doesn’t press at the line, stacked if he misses his punch, lacks ideal recovery speed when beaten, doesn’t get head around to locate the ball consistently, inconsistent use of leverage, inconsistent angles in run defense, dragged for extra yards by RBs

Overview: Jones has special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He gained experience playing outside to the boundary and field and in the slot during his more than 2,700 career defensive snaps. His 76-inch wingspan and 31.5-inch arms meet NFL thresholds and serve him well in press-man coverage. Jones does a good job tracking his assignments across the formation pre-snap during motion. He delivers a solid two-handed punch in press coverage to stunt releases. The All-ACC selection is a physical defender who bumps smaller receivers off their routes and drives outside releases into the sideline. He’s also aggressive in his approach at the catch point. Jones uses his instincts and football IQ to read the quarterback’s eyes and bait throws into interception scenarios. He quickly recognizes routes and triggers downhill to limit yards after the catch or jar the ball loose. Jones undercuts routes for diving pass break ups. He excels at timing up his contact at the catch point to either hit the ball or deliver a big enough hit that the receiver can’t complete the catch. The New York native doesn’t consistently get his head around for the football, so he relies on reading the receiver’s eyes to determine when the ball is arriving. His hands are very active and impactful at the catch point. Jones doesn’t bite on route fakes often. He is very aware of the first down marker and prevents offenses from picking up a new set of downs or gaining many yards after the catch. Jones recognizes and attacks screens and competes to get off wide receiver stalk blocks. He sets a good edge in the run game when playing in the slot. Jones is a wrap-up tackler, but running backs drag him for extra yards. He takes inconsistent angles in run defense. The sixth-year cornerback is an older prospect with a slightly high-cut frame. He isn’t a twitchy athlete and relies on a high and slow backpedal. Jones lacks elite speed and has to work overtime to stay attached to speedsters on crossers or downfield. He is physical, but his punches in press rarely knock the receiver out of the play completely. Officials in the NFL will be quicker to throw flags on Jones for initiating contact early in the route. The Boston College product resorts to grabbing or bumping as he allows separation against sudden or twitchy receivers. Jones struggles to mirror more athletic players at the stem’s peak. Receivers quickly overtake him in off-man coverage, and pass catchers test his burst and acceleration when he gives them clean releases. Jones finds himself stacked when he misses his initial punch in press, and he lacks high-end recovery speed. He doesn’t locate the ball often enough on vertical routes. Jones’ use of leverage in zone coverage needs to improve.

Overall, Jones is an instinctive, physical cornerback who excels at disrupting receivers at the catch point and baiting quarterbacks into bad throws. His lack of elite athletic traits and inconsistencies in off-man coverage prevent him from earning a top 100 grade. It wouldn’t be surprising if the NFL elevated Jones into the late third round, considering his inside-out versatility and abilities in press-man.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside press-man corner with slot versatility

Round Projection: Fourth Round

Size: 6'1 1/2", 185 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 03-28-24