Elijah Jones is a long turn that could be a Commander-friendly plan

Elijah Jones, CB
School: Boston College | Conference: ACC
College experience: Senior | Age: ?
Size weight: 6’1.5″ / 185 lbs
Status of the projected draft: Rounds 3-4

Player comparison: Desmond Trufant, less athletic

College statistics

Player Overview

The pride of Harlem, Elijah Jones was a standout athlete in track and field and football in high school. On the track, he was a talented sprinter. On the football field, he played wide receiver and defensive back. Jones was New York’s number one cornerback recruit, but only a three-star prospect when he chose to play at Boston College. In 2018, Jones redshirted, but showed his abilities with four PBUs in just four games. Jones would see the field a lot more in 2019, playing in every game and starting three, putting up decent tackling numbers but not much else. His 2020 and 2021 seasons were similar to 2019, but Jones broke out in 2022. He had two interceptions and 13 PBU, earning him All-ACC honorable mention. That strong play continued in 2023, where he earned first-team All-ACC honors after landing five picks and breaking up eight passes.

Strengths

• Footwork to reflect receivers off the line of scrimmage and through the route shank
• Scoring in the press is effective in disrupting route timing
• Has speed to turn and run with receivers downfield
• Excellent at using his momentum and length to play with the ball
• Exceptional balloon production

Weaknesses

• Lower body tightness prevents him from staying with receivers during timeouts.
• Can be too straight when backpedaling, slowing transitions
• Mirror receivers not as effective outside of coverage
• Physical and willing tackler, but not a ton of stopping power considering his slim build

Let’s see his work

How he fits in with commanders

With the departure of Kendall Fuller, the Commanders are interested in Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes starting outside at the cornerback position. Both have had their share of struggles, with the former being in the final year of his rookie contract. Having been conscripted by the previous regime, current commanders may seek to improve this position in conscription.

Elijah Jones fulfills a lot of what commanders seem to want in a player. He has tremendous length at the position and incredible ball production over the past two seasons. He can play effectively in press coverage and has good feel in the zone. Where he will struggle is in off-man coverage if he has to carry receivers all over the field. Faster, more agile receivers will also give him problems if he can’t get his hands on them, so I think he’s limited on the outside. Jones would probably be a great fit as a press man or cover 3 scheme, covers that Dan Quinn has run a lot in the past. If the Commanders consider implementing one of these coverage schemes, Jones could be a productive player for the team.