DraftTracker
Round | Team | Pos. | School | Name
Adam Jones
DB (5-9, 187, 4.38)
West Virginia
Grade: 98
Comments
Is quick, fluid, fast, tough and confident. Will get physical with receivers and holds up well for his size in press coverage. Has smooth hips, can mirror quicker receivers on double moves and shows excellent body control and balance. Can turn and run with speed receivers. Shows burst out of his pedal and shows very good closing quickness when driving on the ball thrown underneath. Has good catch-up speed and shows good acceleration when the ball is in the air. His outstanding leaping ability helps make up for lack of ideal height, adjusts extremely well to the ball in the air and has excellent ball skills. Is a playmaker when the ball is in his hands on interceptions and as a return specialist. Is a hard-nosed and versatile football player, especially for an undersized corner. Plays with a mean streak, attacks the line when reads run and is surprisingly effective in run support considering lack of ideal bulk. Explodes into hits, generally wraps up upon contact and doesn't miss many open field tackles. Plays with a good motor and always seems to be around the ball at the end of the play. Also, he possesses the quickness, speed, elusiveness, toughness and vision to develop into an impact PR in the NFL. Is tough but needs to improve his technique and hand-usage in press coverage. Lacks ideal size and will have trouble matching up with bigger receivers in the NFL was able to get physical with most receivers on the collegiate level but it won't be as easy at the next level. Has improved his run/pass recognition skills but is still too inconsistent in that area. Will get caught peeking at times, bites on some pump fakes, will get caught out of position. Must learn to gamble less while still remaining aggressive. Mental capacity a concern; scored a 13 on Wonderlic Test.Jones' nickname is "Pac-Man". He led West Virginia in tackles with 76 in 2004. He produced three tackles for losses, two sacks, three interceptions and seven passes broken up as a senior. Jones also returned 26 kickoffs for 608 yards for an average of 23.4 yards per return, and also returned 21 punts for 306 yards and a touchdown. In 36 career games, Jones finished with 201 career tackles, 22 pass breakups, nine tackles for losses, eight interceptions and two each in sacks, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. He returned 59 career kickoffs for 1,475 yards and one touchdown and he returned 27 punts for 404 yards for an average of 11.2 yards per return. Jones has just decent size but he can do it all; he is a physical, quick and fast cover corner with toughness versus the run and playmaking skills as a potential returns specialist in the NFL. Jones will need to protect himself versus bigger receivers in the NFL but, much like Vikings DC Antoine Winfield, he is aggressive, tough, strong and confident enough to handle size mismatches in the NFL. In our opinion, Jones is the elite cornerback prospects in the 2005 draft class and his versatility as a return specialist only adds to his value. If he isn't the first cornerback taken, he should be the second behind Miami's Antrel Rolle likely somewhere in the top-15 picks.
* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.
