Rd 1 Pick 27: Cowboys select UConn CB Byron Jones

Byron Jones (CB)
Connecticut
6'1" - 199 lbs.

Pick Analysis:
"I think this pick fits need. He plays hard, but like most tall corners he's a little bit stiff. He's gifted and explosive, and will help out the Cowboys' defense immediately. Dallas will be excited about this kid." -- Mike Mayock

Ultimate Byron Jones Highlights HD "Superstar In The Making" - YouTube

Highlights must be in short supply when you have to show the same play 3 or 4 times. Nothing in that highlight film really stuck out at me except that it was a lot of fluff.

From my observation he appears to be a lot better in coverage than what he is giving credit for by those on this board.

He's a decent tackler in that he doesn't try for the highlight reel hits.

He doesn't wow you and maybe that's a good thing, because he appears to be more fundamentally sound. No spin here.

When I said that he doesn't wow you, that doesn't mean I find him underwhelming like Claiborne. I hated the Claiborne pick but I got on board with it.

I like this pick.

Nice to have a CB who will have a fighting chance against the taller WRs.

@toddarcher: Cowboys didn't have "true blue" 1st rd grade on Byron Jones but was among top 20 players on board. Worked well w Travis Frederick.

Jones will wear #31.


Kiss of death.

Only real gripe I have is our total lack of QB pressure makes any secondary worse. They have all day to throw, it really doesn't matter who you have back there. Just seems the priority with the first pick would be addressing that.

I mean, who really knows. Sometimes these guys with great athletic ability do pan out. You are a little wary when the first reports of him are his combine jumping events, though.

Like most, I'd try him at FS. He doesn't look like he turns very fluidly in his workouts.

Midswat said:

Jones will wear #31.


Kiss of death.

Keep reading...

True, but at least in this case the player's Wonderlic exceeds the jersey number. That's a good sign.

David Moore says he talked to Cowboys people after the fact last night when they'd had some drinks, and he says the other players they discussed were Kendricks and McKinney. Says Dupree is the player they really wanted but they weren't surprised when he went before we had a chance at him.

ThoughtExperiment said:

David Moore says he talked to Cowboys people after the fact last night when they'd had some drinks, and he says the other players they discussed were Kendricks and McKinney. Says Dupree is the player they really wanted but they weren't surprised when he went before we had a chance at him.

Keep reading...

And yeah, 27 is a lousy spot. Nobody wants to trade up to it, or give you much for it if they did, and the pickings are pretty slim by that time.

Says Coleman, Ajayi, Yeldon, maybe Duke Johnson, Allen are the backs we're interested in. Not so much Abdullah or David Johnson.

Hunter, Harrellson, Clark are the DEs we'd look at.

We'd look at Petty in the 4th but don't think he'll make it that far.

Pro Football Focus @PFF · 12 hours ago

On passes thrown 10 yards or more through the air, new Cowboys CB Byron Jones allows just 16.7% to be caught, giving up just 55 yards.


I know he played against competition that wasn't elite... but how is this even possible?

Yeah and in that highlight video, you see the effects of playing against subpar competition. Michigan's QB was throwing Donovan McNabb style passes straight into the ground, when Jones's guy was open.

Did like that pick on the deep ball against Michigan though. Lots of WRs come down with that but Jones was strong with the ball.

peplaw06 said:

Pro Football Focus @PFF · 12 hours ago

On passes thrown 10 yards or more through the air, new Cowboys CB Byron Jones allows just 16.7% to be caught, giving up just 55 yards.


I know he played against competition that wasn't elite... but how is this even possible?

Keep reading...

The guy is better in coverage than what people on this board are giving him credit for.

I think he will be a good player, but I hope we get a DE in round 2.

Midswat said:

@toddarcher: Cowboys didn't have "true blue" 1st rd grade on Byron Jones but was among top 20 players on board. Worked well w Travis Frederick.

Keep reading...

Does this team ever have first round grades for more than about 10-15 players?

Dodger12 said:

Highlights must be in short supply when you have to show the same play 3 or 4 times. Nothing in that highlight film really stuck out at me except that it was a lot of fluff.

Keep reading...

Replays and "highlights" of plays where he was in the area of a wayward incompletion.

Like others have said, I don't hate this pick but I don't love it either. I would've preferred being the ones going up for Ray instead of the Broncos.

Jones is a solid pick tho considering who was available. You can't argue that our secondary doesn't need better players.

I consider Jones a lot like our pick last year, Zach Martin. In that Martin could be a good tackle but has the potential to be a great guard. With Jones I think he could get the job done at corner but I think he has much more potential and value to this team as a safety.

The only negatives I have on him are my concerns of his level of competition he faced and he's not a mean player like I would want on my defense. The reason I liked Peters better.

I think his bust potential is pretty low. He's very smart and his athletic ability is through the roof. By the interviews I've seen of him he's very comfortable in front of the camera and seems like the type of guy that likes the spotlight on him. So I don't think the NFL stage will be too big for him.

Post draft Jerry was talking like he would be a safety and apparently during Jones' visits with the team he spent a lot of time with Baker our safety coach. Moreso than with Henderson. I think he was drafted to play safety in a role very similar to Earl Thomas' in Seattle where he comes down a lot in 1 on 1 situations as well as being a single high type. But I guess a lot of that comes down to if Carr is still on the team, if Claiborne turns it around, and who else we may select in this draft. I wouldn't be surprised at all if in the late rounds we took a true corner.

peplaw06 said:

Pro Football Focus @PFF · 12 hours ago

On passes thrown 10 yards or more through the air, new Cowboys CB Byron Jones allows just 16.7% to be caught, giving up just 55 yards.

He was injured a lot.
I know he played against competition that wasn't elite... but how is this even possible?

Keep reading...

. Injuries effecting the stats for his benefit.