Tyreque Jones, S Boise State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Jones was a three-star recruit from San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino, Calif. in the class of 2017
Most football fans digging into the 2023 NFL Draft know about Boise State safety JL Skinner, but his teammate Tyreque Jones is also a name to watch in the pre-draft process. The box safety attended the Shrine Bowl and was invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
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Tyreque Jones, S Boise State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Sixth year defensive back from San Bernardino, Calif.
Background: Jones was a three-star recruit from San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino, Calif. in the class of 2017. He was the No. 1,479 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,419 for On3.com. Jones was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He committed to Boise State over offers from BYU, Colorado State, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and UNLV. As a high school senior, Jones served as a team captain and amassed 77 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He earned First-Team All-Sun honors on defense. Jones also contributed 52 receptions for 1,128 yards and 16 touchdowns as a wide receiver, which helped San Gorgonio finish 11-4 and win the CIF Southern Section Division 7 Championship.
2022 Production: 12 games, 34 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 3 pass defensed
2021 Production: 12 games, 52 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed
2020 Production: 6 games, 10 tackles, 1 pass defensed
2019 Production: 14 games, 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 2 passes defensed
2018 Production: 12 games, 33 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 2 passes defensed
2017 Production: (Redshirt Year)
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed one game in 2018 and 2020, missed two games in 2022, carted off vs. Utah State (2022) but didn’t miss time
Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Mountain West, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Mountain West
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, plenty of slot experience, room on his frame to add mass, excellent arm length, long arms expand his tackle radius, aggressive coming downhill to make plays against the run, closing burst, shows ideal effort in pursuit, able to set a hard edge against the run, uses his length to challenge and lock out blockers, gets into the blocker’s chest, rarely penalized, enough speed to cover most tight ends and running backs
Cons: Age, high-hipped and lean, lacks sideline-to-sideline range, lack of ball production, missed tackles, plays fast which sometimes leads to flying past or sliding off tackles, block deconstruction is a work in progress, over pursuit can open other rushing lanes, doesn’t have the speed to carry some slot options or tight ends one-on-one, limited agility to mirror tight ends, some lower body stiffness, best working near the line of scrimmage instead of in deep zones
Overview: Jones took official measurements at the Shrine Bowl. He’s 6015 and weighs 194 lbs. He has 9 1/2-inch hands, 33 7/8-inch arms, and an 81 1/8-inch wingspan. Jones is a special teams ace with more than 400 college special teams snaps split between the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He spent time in every possible defensive back role during his five seasons with playing time at Boise State but primarily lined up in the box and slot. Jones has long arms and room to add additional mass to his frame. His long arms expand his tackle radius. Jones is aggressive coming downhill to make plays against the run and displays closing burst. He shows high effort in pursuit and fights to set a hard edge against the run. The All-Mountain West honorable mention uses his length to challenge and lock out blockers. He gets into the blocker’s chest, allowing him to steer blockers or disengage when needed. Jones lacks the speed and twitch to carry every tight end and slot receiver, but he has enough speed to cover most tight ends and running backs. The California native is an older prospect with a high-hipped and lean build. He lacks sideline-to-sideline range and doesn’t have significant ball production. Jones plays fast, which sometimes leads to him flying past the ball carrier or sliding off tackles. His block deconstruction skills are still a work in progress. The sixth-year safety has limited agility to mirror tight ends and suffers from some lower body stiffness. He’s at his best when working near the line of scrimmage instead of in deep zones.
Overall, Jones projects as a box safety who does his best work near the line of scrimmage and occasionally kicks into the slot to cover tight ends. He’s a willing run defender who suffers from some tightness and agility limitations in coverage.
Role & Scheme Fit: Starting box safety
Round Projection: Late Fifth to Mid Sixth
Player Comparison: N/A
Submitted: 02-26-23