Jarrian Jones, NB Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Jones was a four-star recruit from Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood, Miss. in the class of 2019

Jarrian Jones played slot and outside cornerback during his time with the Florida State Seminoles. He has flown under the radar during the pre-draft process but projects as one of the top fourth round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Jarrian Jones, NB Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior slot corner from Magee, Miss.

Background: Jones was a four-star recruit from Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood, Miss. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 220 safety recruit for 247Sports and No. 234 for On3.com. Jones was an unranked four-star athlete for Rivals. He was the 198th overall recruit for ESPN with an 82 grade out of 100. Jones transferred from Mississippi State to Florida State for the 2020 season. Jones finished his high school career with five interceptions, including three from his sophomore year, and returned three picks for touchdowns. He caught 54 passes for 1,131 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior and 28 passes for 641 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. Jones also returned kicks and punts in his final two high school seasons. He was invited to the Under Armour All-America Game and the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

Injuries & Off-Field: Did not play vs. Alabama and Arkansas in 2019, broke hand in 2021 offseason and needed 3-4 month recovery period, reaggravated hand during 2021 season, missed 2022 Syracuse game, missed 2023 Pitt game after exiting Wake Forest game

Awards: 2022 FSU Defensive Most Improved Player, 2023 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2023 FSU Defensive Most Improved Player

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, special teams ace, experience playing outside and in the slot, not penalized in his final season, quick and light feet, quick backpedal, compresses outside releases along the sideline, patient to match route tempo, patient at the top of the stem in off-man coverage to mirror receiver, snaps to receiver at stem’s peak in off-man, quickly recognizes and closes on routes that break in front of him, quick click and close, speed and explosive testing ranked highly, speed to carry deep threats vertically, no one is separating from him on a linear plane, doesn’t allow separation on crossing routes, closing burst helps undercut throws, transitions between multiple threats in zone, play recognition, makes good plays at the catch point, makes diving pass break ups and rakes the WR’s hands, hustle in pursuit, motor runs hot, punches at the football to go for FF, recognizes and attacks WR screens, willing to come downhill and make a tackle, uses his speed to slip past blockers, competes to get off WR stalk blocks, speed makes him lethal as a blitzer

Cons: History of minor injuries, 73.25-inch wingspan, 30-inch arms, and 8 5/8-inch hands are all 15th percentile or lower among corners, some issues navigating crowded MOF pre-snap, sometimes gets flat-footed in off-man, caught guessing if the receiver will release outside or inside, feet can be overly reactive (happy feet), backpedal gets high at times, transitions can be high, slight hip stiffness, allows separation at the top of comeback routes, allows separation vs. sharp cuts, footwork from backpedal to forward drive is awkward, bumped off coverage by physical pass catchers, some dropped interceptions, tackle strength, slides off tackle attempts, dives low for tackles instead of driving through attempts, displaced by blocking tight ends when hit cleanly

Overview: Jones is a college veteran with special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He played outside at cornerback for Mississippi State and Florida State for four total seasons before kicking inside to the slot in 2023. While he is an aggressive defender who doesn’t mind contact, Jones’ measurables are less than ideal. His 73.25-inch wingspan, 30-inch arms, and 8 5/8-inch hands are all 15th percentile or lower among corners to measure at the NFL Combine since 1999. He also comes with a history of minor injuries, which could be troubling at his size. In 2023, Jones worked in a lot of off-man and zone coverages but also saw action in soft-shoe press at the line of scrimmage. He has quick and light feet and a quick backpedal, but he gets happy feet and sits high in his backpedal. When working outside, Jones compresses outside releases along the sideline to limit throwing windows. He patiently matches the receiver’s route tempo and is tactical in how he mirrors the receiver at the top of their stem in off-man coverage. Jones uses his quick feet and electric closing burst to snap to the receiver at the stem’s peak and get in phase. His click and close reflects the high-end linear speed and explosiveness he displayed at the NFL Combine. Jones has the speed to carry deep threats vertically without fear of getting stacked. Very few receivers have the juice to separate from him on vertical routes or crossers. The Mississippi native shows off his football IQ as he transitions between multiple threats in zone. He quickly recognizes route concepts and has the closing burst to undercut throws and make plays on the ball. When he can’t pick the ball off, Jones makes diving pass break ups or rakes the receiver’s hands to pry the ball loose. The All-ACC honorable mention is sometimes caught guessing which direction the wide receiver will release. He needs to calm his feet in these situations and trust his experience and speed. Jones’ transitions in coverage are high and display some hip stiffness. He allows separation at the top of comeback routes and on other sharp breaks but is quick to close windows afterward. Making adjustments to his footwork will narrow these margins. He also needs to adjust his footwork when switching from his backpedal to forward drive. Jones’ limited measurables do occasionally show up in coverage. Physical receivers can bump him around, and his hand size might play a role in some dropped interceptions. The former four-star recruit’s motor runs hot in pursuit and against the run and screens. He quickly recognizes and attacks wide receiver screens to force tackles for loss. Jones is more than willing to come downhill to make a tackle. He uses his speed to slip past blockers and competes to get off wide receiver stalk blocks. However, tight end blocks displace him because of the difference in size and power. Jones frequently dives low for tackles instead of driving through attempts, causing him to slip off ball carriers. His speed makes him a terrific threat blitzing out of the slot.

Overall, Jones is a high-end athlete who doesn’t let below-average measurables prevent him from making an impact with his speed and play recognition skills. It would be intriguing to see Jones in a more zone-heavy scheme at the next level. Playing more zone coverage still allows him to use his closing speed and maximizes his play recognition by placing the action more within his cone of vision. Operating in zone might also calm down Jones’ feet and lead to some more controlled movement and less separation for receivers.

Role & Scheme Fit: Nickel corner with man experience in a zone-heavy scheme

Round Projection: Early to Mid Fourth Round

Size: 5'11 7/8", 190 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 03-19-24