New England Patriots Improve Secondary with CB Cyrus Jones
The New England Patriots are seemingly in the market for a cornerback every year and it didn’t take long for Bill Belichick to draft one this season as the Patriots selected Alabama’s Cyrus Jones 60th overall. Jones is the first player selected by New England this year.
Patriots select Alabama CB Cyrus Jones with the No. 60 overall pick, then trade No. 61 to New Orleans. 5-9 7/8, 197. Returner too. #NEPick
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 30, 2016
According to NFL Mocks writer Rodney Stokes, this is the Patriots fans should be excited about.
"Let’s put the defense to the side for just a moment. Cyrus Jones is a phenomenal punt returner. His electric abilities in the open field may be the reason he is drafted above his defensive value. As a punt returner, Jones averaged 12.6 yards per return and cashed in on four of his 42 attempts this year. Given that he may not be a day one starter in the NFL, his return value could get him on the field early in his career.Alright, back to the defense. Jones does a lot of things well for a smaller defender. He’s aggressive at the line of scrimmage and uses his bulk (5’9 200lbs) to help jar receivers off of their route. He is fluid in the hips and plays defenders down to the text-book definition, it’s very rare to find Jones out of position while defending a route.Cyrus Jones is one of the better known defenders in the SEC, a conference that holds some of the more talented athletes in college football. He is a guy who will have a smooth transition in becoming a solid nickel corner for somebody in April."
The Patriots are in need of a nickel corner and Jones fills that hole on the roster. New England was down to Tavon Wilson and Patrick Chung (two safeties) in the slot towards the end of the 2015 season. Jones also brings some versatility as he can contribute as a returner as well.