2023 NFL draft: 10 biggest defensive standouts from 2023 East-West Shrine & Senior Bowl weeks

#8. Nic Jones, Ball State (Cornerback)

Nic Jones, Ball State

The third name of this corner trio is a lesser-known again, in part because he’s the only Ball State player among the 619 prospects listed on the nflmockdraftdatabase.com consensus board right now. He also only had one-and-a-half seasons as a starter.

Nevertheless, Nic Jones was able to intercept three passes and break up another 15 across those 17 games. He really made a name for himself with his performances throughout East-West Shrine week. I could have easily gone with Kei’Trel Clark from Louisville or Terell Smith from Minnesota here, but in terms of who helped himself the most, I think Jones is the guy many scouts have now decided to put their eyes on.

Jones had some very impressive reps the first two days of staying right in phase with receivers and none that really stood out in a negative way. He did allow more completions on the second day, but the ability to swivel his hips around and not be caught out of position a whole lot was still a plus to note for me. He never allowed guys to get even with him when assigned with deep zone responsibility.

Day three was certainly his worst showing, gambling on a couple of routes it felt like, but he did get a pick during the team portion undercutting the throw (where App State QB Chase Brice tried to fit the ball in late to a curl route on the outside by Florida WR Justin Shorter).

You saw the athletic confidence to not prematurely drive on routes, but let his closing burst do the trick when he saw the receiver commit his hips. Jones wasn’t afraid to sit a little bit versus outside releases before opening his hips and running with guys down the sideline (because he trusted his top-gear to be up-to-par, which he was proved right about).

Even when he flipped the wrong way initially or had to due to the release by the guy across from him, you saw some impressive speed-turns to get back into phase. When assigned with deep zone responsibilities, he made sure to stay over the top in team drills consistently. Jones continued to show up in the actual game, getting in the hip-pocket of his man and disrupting the catch (including a pick in the fourth quarter, where the quarterback tried to fit in a deep crosser late and Jones was right underneath it).