Cornerback Sidney Jones selected by Philadelphia Eagles

Sidney Jones became the 4th Husky to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, going to Philadelphia. He is the 3rd member of the UW secondary to be taken in the first 11 picks of the 2nd round.

Jones came to Washington as an unheralded three star recruit out of West Covina, Calif. It was relatively surprising that he didn’t redshirt during his freshman season but was starting almost immediately and never relinquished that role until his declaration for the draft.

Jones was widely considered a talent worthy of a first round selection, if not top fifteen before he tore his Achilles tendon at the Washington pro day. Jones believes he can return before the end of the coming regular season, but even then teams are going to have to weigh the possibility that he might not ever regain the quickness and speed that he showed in college.

Standing at 6-0 and weighing in at 186 lbs., Jones isn’t the lengthy corner that is sweeping the league (and this draft, specifically) but he doesn’t let that stop him. His length is more than adequate. Aside from the Achilles injury, the only physical negative for Jones is that he could stand to gain some upper body strength.

Assuming a full recovery, Jones can provide a team the ability to follow a number one receiver around the field and cause significant headaches for the pass catcher. When the ball does come his way, Jones has a penchant for not allowing it to be caught. Jones knocked down 21 passes throughout his career and grabbed eight interceptions.

His ceiling is as a top-five cornerback in the NFL who could end as a steal due to his injury and reduced cost.