2017 NFL Draft Daily Chicago Bears Target: Washington cornerback Sidney Jones

For today’s daily Chicago Bears 2017 NFL Draft target, we look at Washington’s top defensive back Sidney Jones.

After ranking dead last in the league in takeaways last year, the Chicago Bears will look to improve their defense, especially the secondary, in the 2017 NFL Draft. So far, they’ve addressed team needs at cornerback and safety through free agency. Additions such as safety Quintin Demps and corners Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper should immediately step in and improve those units.

However, the Bears could still use a man-to-man, press coverage-oriented corner that fits defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme. The best cornerback prospect in the draft, Marshon Lattimore, will be available at #3 overall if the Bears want him. But hamstring injury concerns may sway the Bears from investing their coveted third overall pick in him. But if the Bears traded down/waited until the second round, they could find a bargain in Washington’s Sidney Jones.

Strengths:

Flip on Jones’ tape, and one thing jumps out immediately: he goes hard every play from the snap. He’s never timid in press coverage and frequently takes the fight to receivers at the line of scrimmage. Jones is also a willing, aggressive tackler in the open field for only checking in at 185 pounds. He just oozes competitiveness, which is arguably the most necessary trait for a top corner.

Weaknesses:

That said, Jones could benefit from gaining about ten pounds. My concern is that bigger NFL wide receivers will simply shrug off his attempts to be physical. Though the stat sheet won’t show it (three catches for 41 yards), Jones struggled some against USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster last season. Smith-Schuster, who had about 30 pounds on Jones, got separation frequently just by overpowering him. He also appears to have just okay, not great, speed (4.47-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine), and it shows sometimes on tape. That means that he needs to excel at keeping guys in front of him or staying in their pocket. If he gets beaten, his margin for error isn’t very high.

2017 nfl draft-sidney jones-usc /

In run support, he often has trouble getting off blocks, as bigger receivers can engage him and easily shield him from ballcarriers. Also, while he’s not afraid to tackle, he sometimes loses control and needs to square up his target better.

Outlook:

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Jones’ Achilles injury at his Pro Day. While never a good thing, his particular Achilles injury is not career-threatening, and the surgery was relatively low-risk. In fact, Jones believes that he could play full-contact football by September—the start of the NFL season. Also, Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs, Miami’s Cameron Wake, and the now-retired Steve Smith, Sr. have all recently suffered the same injury and returned to play at a high level fairly quickly. As such, there’s no assume Jones can’t be the player he was pre-injury. Some executives around the league don’t even expect Jones to fall far in the draft despite the injury.

Injured or not, Jones would only have been a realistic option for the Bears in the mid-/late-first round or after. If his injury makes him slip to #36 overall, the Bears will have a choice to make. Do they take a chance on a clear first-round talent who will need some recovery time? Or is the recent injury history with their high draft picks enough to scare Ryan Pace off of Jones?

Next: Would drafting Marshon Lattimore fix the Bears' secondary?

Ultimately, that’s a question for the team doctors. But for myself, I think the Jones would be a great get for the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft if his health outlook is good. He would fit Fangio’s defense perfectly and would add an instant takeaway threat to the Bears’ secondary.

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