The New England Patriots bolstered their young defensive backfield by selecting Cyrus Jones with the 61st overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The New England Patriots made just one of their two selections at the end of the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft – selecting Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones with the 60th overall selection. With the 61st selection, the Patriots traded back with the New Orleans Saints and received the 78th and 112th selection in the draft.
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In Jones, the Patriots get a versatile play maker from an Alabama system that has produced multiple NFL talents in recent years. Jones is a 5’10”, 197-pound cornerback that started his career at Alabama as a wide receiver before transitioning to cornerback.
Jones played in 51 career games., totaling 108 tackles, one sack, seven interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Jones also worked as a punt returner at Alabama – returning 46 punts for 618 yards and four touchdowns.
Jones will likely fit in as a slot cornerback in New England with Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan maintaining their starting cornerback roles. This will help drastically cut back on the number of cornerbacks used by New England in 2016 after being forced to use eight in 2015.
Jones’ two interceptions in 2015 is more than six of the eight cornerbacks on the Patriots in 2015 – tying Malcolm Butler and trailing only Logan Ryan who finished with four. He instantly brings more production than players such as Rahsaan Melvin, Leonard Johnson, Tarrell Brown and Justin Coleman – all of which played in the slot in 2015.
Jones returned 42 punts for Alabama in 2015, totaling 530 return yards and four touchdowns. This gives Jones 57 more total return yards that the Patriots as a team in 2015 on five fewer returns. He also out-paced the Patriots’ returners 4-0 in return touchdowns, bringing the explosive element back into the punt return game without needing to use Julian Edelman. His 12.6 yards per return would also be the best number on the Patriots.
Even with these gaudy numbers, some question the fit of Jones on the Patriots. He was primarily an outside cornerback at Alabama, and that position is all but filled in New England.
The reasoning behind the pick was best put by New England Patriots Director of Player Personnel, Nick Caserio. “Everyone has their own particular thing they have to do,” Caserio said. “So, will he check every box? Maybe not, but does he check enough? The most important thing is to take the strengths of the player and put him in a position to utilize those strengths.”
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Not only does Jones have the stats to fit the Patriots, Bill Belichick’s system is the place where Jones is placed in the best spot to utilize his strengths.