The Ravens assistant GM doesn’t believe Washington cornerback Sidney Jones will fall very fall in the 2017 NFL Draft due to injury.
The Washington Huskies secondary was a very strong unit in 2017, largely due to the presence of impact cornerback Sidney Jones. Given his tremendous talents, Jones was expected to be a first round pick, and potentially a high one, before he tore his Achilles tendon at Washington’s pro day only weeks ago.
After the injury, mock drafts started dropping Jones’ stock from the first round to day two, even to the bottom of the third round at times. However, Baltimore Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta thinks that’s an incorrect notion and thinks the loss of Jones for at least the first part of the 2017 regular season won’t drop Jones that far at all.
"“There have been players that have gone very high in the first round with injuries like that,” Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said. “Sometimes they fall a little bit, but he [Jones] is a really good player, and I don’t think it is going to affect him that much.”"
Jones has already said he’s expecting to play this year, which means any team getting him will have his addition to look forward to in the second half of the year. Just last season, linebacker Jaylon Smith was taken at the top of round two, at No. 34 overall, by the Dallas Cowboys despite serious concerns on the part of some experts that Smith’s knee injury might keep him from ever playing again.
Jones had 6 passes defended, 2 interceptions and 39 total tackles last season for the Huskies.