Jacksonville Jaguars select Jarrian Jones in 3rd round of 2024 NFL Draft
Florida State defensive back Jarrian Jones was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 96 pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
In 2023, Jones appeared in 12 games with nine starts, racking up 25 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. One of his best games came against North Alabama, when he had three tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception.
The Indianapolis Colts hosted Jones on an official pre-draft visit, according to Aaron Wilson. The former FSU corner checked in at 6-feet, 190 pounds. He was also clocked at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His broad jump and vertical leap numbers combined to give him a 9.87 Relative Athletic Score–the third-highest RAS at the corner position.
In the slot, Jones allowed 50 percent completion of the passes on 32 targets, limiting receivers to 9.9 yards per catch. He also snatched three interceptions and tallied three pass breakups. It was a small sample, but Jones also performed well as a blitzer.
In the boundary in 2022, Jones got targeted 23 times, allowing 46% percent completions. He allowed 10.4 yards per catch, tallying one interception and three pass breakups. In 2021, he appeared in all 12 games, making six starts, recording 22 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and two pass breakups. Jones also had a career-high of six tackles against Wake Forest.
Before joining Florida State in 2020, Jones originally signed with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2019. As a true freshman in the 2019 campaign, he started once and finished with 12 tackles, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.
As a high school prospect, Jones was rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 234 overall player in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He played his high school football for Northwest Rankin (Flowood, Mississippi). As one of the more decorated prospects in the country, he was invited to the Under Armour All-American Game. During his career, he returned three of his five interceptions for touchdowns.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Jarrian Jones
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gave his in-depth breakdown of Jones in his scouting report. Zierlein projected him to be drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Then he dove into his pros and cons as a prospect.
“Urgent cornerback with good size and above-average aggression in all aspects of his game. While Jones is all gas from snap to whistle, he can be clunky matching a receiver’s release and has a hard time transitioning through sharp break points without allowing glaring separation. His chase speed is average and he might require help over the top,” Zierlein noted in his report.
“He does a nice job of anticipating breaks from a shuffle and is effective from zone with a decent burst to close when playing forward. He’s aggressive in run support and battles for positioning in coverage. Jones’ limitations might be mitigated, and his strengths maximized as a nickel cornerback playing forward from a zone-heavy cover scheme,” Zierlein finished.