Jaylon Jones is CB1

[Defjamz26]

He’s been absolutely phenomenal this year. Week 9 against the Panthers he had an 89.1 coverage grade. His first 150 snaps in coverage he had allowed less than 100 yards receiving, which at the time was tied with Marlon Humphrey. Add in how great he’s been at tackling and hitting and you have CB1. I think when Brent’s is healthy they’re like 1A and 1B. Brent’s is tad bit more athletic though. The draft class is turning into a steal for Ballard. 
 

Come FA and draft, corners should be added for depth and competition. I don’t think we need a big signing or early draft pick. 

[coming on strong]

brents was playing well too i saw a graph on twitter he was very good in separation level .  flowers was above average too . i think we have 3 young solid corners .   we need to focus on getting some offensive weapons for richardson first and adding another corner for depth

[PRnum1]

Who ?

[TheEdgeis1]

I noticed Mayfield was targeting him last Sunday.

[holeymoley99]

10 minutes ago, coming on strong said:

brents was playing well too i saw a graph on twitter he was very good in separation level .  flowers was above average too . i think we have 3 young solid corners .   we need to focus on getting some offensive weapons for richardson first and adding another corner for depth

Agreed need to find another WR then some more DT depth we dont have big bodies. We also have rookie Ameer Speed at Corner and he may be something as well we just dont know yet.

[csmopar]

22 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

He’s been absolutely phenomenal this year. Week 9 against the Panthers he had an 89.1 coverage grade. His first 150 snaps in coverage he had allowed less than 100 yards receiving, which at the time was tied with Marlon Humphrey. Add in how great he’s been at tackling and hitting and you have CB1. I think when Brent’s is healthy they’re like 1A and 1B. Brent’s is tad bit more athletic though. The draft class is turning into a steal for Ballard. 
 

Come FA and draft, corners should be added for depth and competition. I don’t think we need a big signing or early draft pick. 

But but by Ballard has built a talentless roster….. according to some.

 

 

but no, good for that young man. If he keeps it up and grows well, along with the other players that are quietly having good seasons, we just maybe can make a run in the next two years, maybe 3.

[MikeCurtis]

Great post. 
 

He did well against an excellent WR this week

 

Lets hope he keeps it up
 

If we can get a FS , A WR1 , in the draft as well as a healthy QB….. this team could be scary

[Defjamz26]

37 minutes ago, TheEdgeis1 said:

I noticed Mayfield was targeting him last Sunday.

He was targeting Evans. No matter who the QB is, Evans will get his targets. He’s a Hall of Famer.  Evans had 70 yards though…

[RollerColt]

Ballard has had some good luck with these late round picks. 
 

Franklin and now Jones.

[GoColts8818]

He has been a much needed surprise.

[Defjamz26]

8 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

Ballard has had some good luck with these late round picks. 
 

Franklin and now Jones.

Both bonafide starters IMO. Franklin leading the league in tackles. 
 

But once again I look at Bradley. Why did it take injuries for him to realize he was better than Baker?

[cjwhiskers]

Back from one of Ballards press conferences. 
 

"Anthony Coughlan fought like a dog for us to take [him]," Ballard said. "I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, I had my doubts, but Anthony pressed and pressed and we took him. And Anthony was right."

Now a believer after seeing what he could do on both defense and special teams throughout training camp and the preseason, Ballard finds himself a fan of Jones too.

 

"This kid is going to be good, like really freaking good," Ballard said.

 

https://www.colts.com/news/general-manager-chris-ballard-cornerbacks-kenny-moore-regular-season

[w87r]

14 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

Ballard has had some good luck with these late round picks. 
 

Franklin and now Jones.

Fries

Rodgers - was a great gamble by Ballard, not as much for Rodgers.

Rodney Thomas

[RollerColt]

44 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Both bonafide starters IMO. Franklin leading the league in tackles. 
 

But once again I look at Bradley. Why did it take injuries for him to realize he was better than Baker?

Stubbornness for sure. 

[NewColtsFan]

44 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Both bonafide starters IMO. Franklin leading the league in tackles. 
 

But once again I look at Bradley. Why did it take injuries for him to realize he was better than Baker?

Maybe Jones wasn’t ready before.   Maybe he’s ready now.   Isn’t that possible? 

 

 

[RollerColt]

4 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Maybe Jones wasn’t ready before.   Maybe he’s ready now.   Isn’t that possible? 

 

 

That’s fair. 

[RollerColt]

10 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Maybe Jones wasn’t ready before.   Maybe he’s ready now.   Isn’t that possible? 

 

 

You’re right. It’s probably not much of a stretch to feel a 7th round pick needs extra time to get ready. 

[compuls1v3]

1 hour ago, Defjamz26 said:

He was targeting Evans. No matter who the QB is, Evans will get his targets. He’s a Hall of Famer.  Evans had 70 yards though…

Yeah, and to keep a #1 like Evans to under 💯 is pretty good!

[EasyE]

14 minutes ago, compuls1v3 said:

Yeah, and to keep a #1 like Evans to under 💯 is pretty good!

70 yards plus 2 TDs isn't to shabby.

[GoColts8818]

1 hour ago, Defjamz26 said:

Both bonafide starters IMO. Franklin leading the league in tackles. 
 

But once again I look at Bradley. Why did it take injuries for him to realize he was better than Baker?

It didn’t.  Baker got benched for Brents early in the season.  Jones came in for an injured Flowers who was playing well before getting hurt.  There was no reason to take Brents or Flowers out of the starting lineup.

[compuls1v3]

59 minutes ago, EasyE said:

70 yards plus 2 TDs isn't to shabby.

2 TDs allowed is bad, true, but the miscommunication is part of taking lumps this year. 

[EasyE]

7 minutes ago, compuls1v3 said:

2 TDs allowed is bad, true, but the miscommunication is part of taking lumps this year. 

Only allowing 70 yds to a Mike Evans is good. I just wanted to mention he had 2 TDs cause I have him in fantasy. Holding him to 2 TDs isn't to bad plus coming out with the win. Go Colts!

[w87r]

Jaylon has been fun to watch grow as the season has progressed I think he has a nice future in first of him

 

 

Definitely could.still use anybody back there.

 

 

Has a 66.3 PFF score.

 

Could be a nice pickup to help secure the CB spot a little better the rest of the way.

 

[AKB]

his worst game was last week 

39 minutes ago, w87r said:

Jaylon has been fun to watch grow as the season has progressed I think he has a nice future in first of him

 

 

Definitely could.still use anybody back there.

 

 

Has a 66.3 PFF score.

 

Could be a nice pickup to help secure the CB spot a little better the rest of the way.

 

pretty sure he fits well into a cover 3 scheme too

[krunk]

11 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

He’s been absolutely phenomenal this year. Week 9 against the Panthers he had an 89.1 coverage grade. His first 150 snaps in coverage he had allowed less than 100 yards receiving, which at the time was tied with Marlon Humphrey. Add in how great he’s been at tackling and hitting and you have CB1. I think when Brent’s is healthy they’re like 1A and 1B. Brent’s is tad bit more athletic though. The draft class is turning into a steal for Ballard. 
 

Come FA and draft, corners should be added for depth and competition. I don’t think we need a big signing or early draft pick. 

I'm surprised you're the one posting this bc you are usually looking to replace low round draft picks and FA guys who play well. You usually don't buy much into their prospects of keeping that level of play up. So Jones has touched you in a different way I see!

[DougDew]

Jaylon Jones was known to many who follow the predraft process.  Many mock drafts had him going in the 3rd or 4th round.  Its a mystery as to why no team drafted him until the 7th, as I was watching him languish round after round.  I assume he did not score well on a critical analytical metric, because his college resume and pundit write-ups considered him a very good pro prospect.

 

The groupthink that made Bryce Young the #1 pick, probably also influenced Jones' fall to a lower round than what he should have been picked.  JMO. 

 

I think Ballard got very lucky that Jones was still there in the 7th and got him for pick #221.

 

Edit:  From Si.com:

 

In the latest CBS Sports mock draft, Jones last midway through the third round and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 82nd overall. In the newest mock by ESPN, Jones was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 99th pick.

[chad72]

Just watch Ballard trade him for a pass rusher because Gus Bradley wanted that guy (RYS for Ngakoue…)  j/k

 

On a serious note - IF Ballard and the coaches recognize Jaylon Jones and Brents are the future 1 and 2, it does make the drafting go easier on Day 1 and 2.

 

 

[chad72]

12 hours ago, holeymoley99 said:

Agreed need to find another WR then some more DT depth we dont have big bodies. We also have rookie Ameer Speed at Corner and he may be something as well we just dont know yet.

It does increase flexibility and reasons for trading down from (say) mid to late teens like 16/17/18/19 and gain picks too in the draft.

[VikingsFanInChennai]

57 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Jaylon Jones was known to many who follow the predraft process.  Many mock drafts had him going in the 3rd or 4th round.  Its a mystery as to why no team drafted him until the 7th, as I was watching him languish round after round.  I assume he did not score well on a critical analytical metric, because his college resume and pundit write-ups considered him a very good pro prospect.

 

The groupthink that made Bryce Young the #1 pick, probably also influenced Jones' fall to a lower round than what he should have been picked.  JMO. 

 

I think Ballard got very lucky that Jones was still there in the 7th and got him for pick #221.

 

Edit:  From Si.com:

 

In the latest CBS Sports mock draft, Jones last midway through the third round and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 82nd overall. In the newest mock by ESPN, Jones was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 99th pick.

One site says

 

physical limitations that are plenty concerning (4.57 forty time with just 30 inch arms)

 

Also, lack of coverage snaps and production in final year is suggested as possible reason. But, he was targeted only 19 times in final year out of 250+ coverage snaps.

 

Maybe, team liked him much in the camp that they decided to waive Darius Rush. 

[DougDew]

12 minutes ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

One site says

 

physical limitations that are plenty concerning (4.57 forty time with just 30 inch arms)

 

Also, lack of coverage snaps and production in final year is suggested as possible reason. But, he was targeted only 19 times in final year out of 250+ coverage snaps.

 

Maybe, team liked him much in the camp that they decided to waive Darius Rush. 

Then he tested 4.4 at Ole Miss pro day, after him saying the 4.57 was not a good day.  Its possible that teams just moved off of him because of the 4.57 time and arm length and never followed up with his pro day..

 

A 7th round pick seems like a situation where someone is taking a flyer, not really looking at the player that closely. 

 

But I could see Ballard dropping him because of the arm length. LOL.

 

Jones was a 4 year starter for the most part.  Had an injury mid career and lost some PT after that.

 

Could also be a guy who is playing well as a NFL rookie because of a lot of snaps in college but ultimately has an NFL ceiling.

[jvan1973]

5 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Then he tested 4.4 at Ole Miss pro day, after him saying the 4.57 was not a good day.  Its possible that teams just moved off of him because of the 4.57 time and never followed up with his pro day..

 

A 7th round pick seems like a situation where someone is taking a flyer, not really looking at the player that closely. 

 

But I could see Ballard dropping him because of the arm length. LOL.

 

Jones was a 4 year starter for the most part.  Had an injury mid career and lost some PT after that.

 

Could also be a guy who is playing well as a NFL rookie because of a lot of snaps in college but ultimately has an NFL ceiling.

I'm not sure you what "LOL" means

[John Hammonds]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

Jaylon Jones was known to many who follow the predraft process.  Many mock drafts had him going in the 3rd or 4th round.  Its a mystery as to why no team drafted him until the 7th, as I was watching him languish round after round.  I assume he did not score well on a critical analytical metric, because his college resume and pundit write-ups considered him a very good pro prospect.

 

The groupthink that made Bryce Young the #1 pick, probably also influenced Jones' fall to a lower round than what he should have been picked.  JMO. 

 

I think Ballard got very lucky that Jones was still there in the 7th and got him for pick #221.

 

Edit:  From Si.com:

 

In the latest CBS Sports mock draft, Jones last midway through the third round and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 82nd overall. In the newest mock by ESPN, Jones was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 99th pick.

Lindy's Draft Guide had him ranked higher than Brents.  Had him as a prospective 2nd rounder, while the pegged Brents in the 3rd.

 

I'm glad that Jones has performed well so far.  He and Brents may make a fine tandem, although I think neither of them is a true big-play shutdown corner.  I also think that Flowers is going to have a hard time getting his starting job back next year.

[Defjamz26]

11 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

It didn’t.  Baker got benched for Brents early in the season.  Jones came in for an injured Flowers who was playing well before getting hurt.  There was no reason to take Brents or Flowers out of the starting lineup.

Flowers was playing okay. 1st game was rough for him and Baker. 2nd game was better, but he wasn’t playing as good as Jones is now. I just never got the hype with Flowers. 

3 hours ago, krunk said:

I'm surprised you're the one posting this bc you are usually looking to replace low round draft picks and FA guys who play well. You usually don't buy much into their prospects of keeping that level of play up. So Jones has touched you in a different way I see!

I call it how I see it. This has been one of Ballard’s hits in the late rounds. I’ve watched every Colts game this year so far and you never see him being a liability. I wasn’t down on Rogers when he was here, I just thought he was more of a nickel than a starting outside corner. Franklin I’ve been a fan of since last year. Same with Speed. Low expectations with everyone obviously, but when they produce you can’t deny it.

[KB]

40 minutes ago, John Hammonds said:

I also think that Flowers is going to have a hard time getting his starting job back next year.

Next years training camp already getting interesting. Gonna be a good battle. Cream will rise to the top.

[chad72]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

 

A 7th round pick seems like a situation where someone is taking a flyer, not really looking at the player that closely. 

 

But I could see Ballard dropping him because of the arm length. LOL.

 

 

Like you said, Ballard got lucky in this particular instant, probably his best 7th round pick. While we can't ignore 32 teams ignoring him for 6 rounds, I am still not a fan of RAS over production in college for drafting principles, Polian drafted guys had production in college and still had decent RAS, just not as high as Mr. Ballard wants. It is borderline Al Davis Raiderish, IMO and has probably cost us good players he passed on.

 

When he went for JT (9.51) and Pittman (8.24) for the skill positions, and Josh Downs (8.99 RAS), all of whom had very good production in college, they end up being our best skill position players. When he went for Alec Pierce (9.83 RAS), he is the one that has had the hardest time being productive. Zach Moss has a RAS of 2.83, go figure. Jaylon Jones is 8.78 Can't measure football instincts and heart that contributes to production. 

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

Jaylon Jones was known to many who follow the predraft process.  Many mock drafts had him going in the 3rd or 4th round.  Its a mystery as to why no team drafted him until the 7th, as I was watching him languish round after round.  I assume he did not score well on a critical analytical metric, because his college resume and pundit write-ups considered him a very good pro prospect.

 

The groupthink that made Bryce Young the #1 pick, probably also influenced Jones' fall to a lower round than what he should have been picked.  JMO. 

 

I think Ballard got very lucky that Jones was still there in the 7th and got him for pick #221.

 

Edit:  From Si.com:

 

In the latest CBS Sports mock draft, Jones last midway through the third round and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 82nd overall. In the newest mock by ESPN, Jones was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 99th pick.

Seems like Ballard has gotten lucky on numerous 7th rd picks.  It seems like he is hitting year after year.  I'm thinking there is more than luck involved.  I would guess having an excellent scouting department has played a key role.  

[DougDew]

30 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Seems like Ballard has gotten lucky on numerous 7th rd picks.  It seems like he is hitting year after year.  I'm thinking there is more than luck involved.  I would guess having an excellent scouting department has played a key role.  

Shrewedness? 

 

Like Ballard knew Jones was top 100 talent, and knew that not one of the other 31 GMs saw what he saw?  That 31 other GMs would pass on Jones in the 3rd,  then he chuckled....then passed on the 4th...he chuckled....passed on the 5th....he chuckled....passed on the 6th....he chuckled...and then at pick 221 said its time to time to draft Jones before the draft ends?   Seems like a very doubtful scenario.

 

ESPN and CBS had Jones as a top 100 player, apparently because he is (so far).  It seems lucky (or a failure of the groupthink algorithms) that Jones was still there at pick 221.

 

Darius Rush was another corner that had to wait until later, but it seems like GMs were right about what they saw with Rush.

[Superman]

59 minutes ago, chad72 said:

probably his best 7th round pick.

 

[chad72]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

 

I think Jaylon Jones will end up being better than Franklin.  

 

I do have to tip my hat to the LB scouting, they have unearthed good talent from Leonard to Okereke to Franklin, at various points in the draft. 

[Superman]

There's plenty of young talent in the secondary, and I think it made sense to get these guys some experience in a season with low stakes and expectations. Brents and Flowers aren't even playing. I also think Jaylon Jones has played well.

 

But I think he blew an assignment on one of Mike Evans' TDs Sunday. I think he was supposed to fall back to the corner of the end zone, but he stayed shallow. And that's an example of some of the growing pains we'll have with a young, inexperienced secondary.