Grading the Chiefs’ pick of cornerback Nic Jones

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a selection in Round 7 to round out their draft class!

With the 250th overall pick in the seventh round, the Chiefs take Ball State cornerback Nic Jones. We have insta-grades from three members of the Arrowhead Pride Draft Team.

Ron: I was not aware of Nic Jones before the Chiefs selected him, but he seems to fit the profile of an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system.

His limited athleticism indicates that he won’t be some staple on the special teams unit, and he plays a position in which the Chiefs already have similar players. I think they could have been more productive with their final pick in this draft.

Grade: C

Caleb: Once again the Chiefs go to cornerback in the seventh round of the draft. Jones fits the mold for the type of corner that Steve Spagnuolo has typically played — and is a playmaker when the ball is thrown his way.

In a loaded cornerback room and secondary, Jones will need to stand out on special teams to have a shot to make the roster.

Grade: C

Rocky: Chiefs general manager Brett Veach had a lot of success when he selected cornerback Jaylen Watson in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, so it seems that he wanted to go back to the well again with the selection of Nic Jones. Where Watson was a physically gifted cornerback who needed to refine his coverage skills, Nic Jones is the opposite— Jones is an aggressive cornerback who likes to jump routes and play press man off the line of scrimmage. He has good length with 32 3/8-inch arms on a six-foot frame. Jones uses his length well when breaking up passes.

Sounds pretty good right? Well, the other shoe is about to drop. When Jones plays off-man coverage he can struggle due to a mediocre athletic profile, so letting the opposing receiver get a running start can be an issue for him. On top of this, he can sometimes get caught flat-footed and get beat. He also needs to work on his tackling, Jones missed tackle percentage in 2022 was 22.6%

Jones has value in special teams as a gunner, which will be where he has to find his meal ticket if he hopes to make the 53-man roster out of camp.

Grade: B