[Editor's note: Promoted from the FanPosts.] --- I feel like it's only right to do a deep film dive on a guy that loves studying film himself. Affectionately known as "Sidney Lake" by his teammates, Sidney Jones has the mental and physical make-up of a number one corner. A ruptured Achilles for Jones at his Pro Day ended whatever 1st round hope he had, leaving his immediate future in much doubt. And with his lower leg still in a walking boot come draft day, confusion and disappointment around Jones's second round selection was only natural.

(Photo courtesy of NFL.com)

When Sidney Jones was initially tied to the Eagles at the #14 pick, I was not too pleased. At the time (two or three months ago) I felt that Jones was a slim corner not built for the physical rigors of the NFL. After chopping up film on Jones's Washington teammate Kevin King for Draftbreakdown.com, I came away far more impressed with the more physically imposing King. I felt that King matched up better with today's top flight WR's, where Jones was more of a scheme/system reliant player.

After all the dust has settled, the big question now is whether Sidney Jones was worth the 43rd overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. While Jones is oozing with potential, he also has BIG medical question marks. After working meticulously through his game film, let's take a look at what the tape reveals to draw an objective conclusion on his fit with the Eagles and his NFL potential:

(Graphic courtesy of Pro Football Focus)

Sidney Jones Film Breakdown- 9 games (USC '15&'16, Washington St '15&'16, Oregon '16, Colorado '16, Arizona St '16, Arizona '15, Boise St '15)

Strengths:

Press Coverage

Ball Skills/Production

High Football IQ/Instincts

Recovery Ability

Tackling

Blitzing

Needless to say after 9 games of watching Sidney Jones my opinion of him has changed drastically. He has all the tools of an NFL lock down corner, and has been productive every year he's been on Washington's campus. Sometimes it's easy to float by when you have so many talented players surrounding you in a secondary, but Sidney Jones was the unquestioned ALPHA male. Don't be fooled by Budda Baker and Kevin King being drafted higher than Jones, as neither is as talented, or as technically sound in coverage.

Jones is a well developed corner that will enter into the NFL with the mental fortitude to win his share of battles from Day 1 (once he returns). He faced elite competition in his 3 years at Washington (Juju Smith-Schuster 2x, Gabe Marks 2x, Chad Hansen), and held his own week in and week out. At only 20 years old, Jones still has a ton of time to develop his mental understanding of the game , as well as to focus on getting stronger.









Press Coverage:





Press coverage is Jones's calling card. He comes in NFL ready to walk up to the LOS and disrupt opposing wide receivers and offenses. He uses really good technique, and maintains his balance (most times) through his initial strike. Doesn't struggle with bigger WR's as much as you'd think, very tenacious:









(CB #26)













(CB #26)









Does great job using his feet and hands to disrupt the WRs route:













(CB #26)













(CB #26)













Ball Skills/Production:





Jones is an incredibly productive corner, making big plays in a variety of ways. He maximizes his size very well to box out offensive players for pass break-ups (PBU's) and INT's. 8 INT's, 21 PBU's, and 6 Forced Fumbles in 3 year career:









Does a great job staying with the WR all the way down the field and high points the ball for a PBU:









(CB #26)





Does a nice job of keeping his eyes on the QB and tracking the ball down field to make a big play:









(CB #26)













(CB #26)





Makes a great tackle to force a JuJu Smith-Schuster fumble:









(CB #26)









(CB #26)









Football IQ/Instincts:





Sidney Jones is a really smart football player that has a lot of starting experience in the PAC-12. He uses the boundary lines to his advantage, and consistently remains in good positioning against opposing WRs. Due to his dedication to film study, Jones can read and diagnose plays to make PBU's and tackles for short gains:









(CB #26)













(CB #26)









(CB #26)













(CB #26)









Makes a great read in off coverage and breaks on the ball to record another PBU:









(CB #26)









Recovery Ability:





Jones does an excellent job of regaining the advantage even after getting initially beat. More physical WRs can fight through Jones's bump coverage, but Jones hangs tough to still make plays on the ball:









(CB #26)













(CB #26)













(CB #26)









Tackling:





This was a surprise component of Jones's game. I for sure thought this would be a weakness, but in fact Jones is a willing and active tackler that makes tackles at all 3 levels. When he has a clear shot at the ball carrier, Jones converts at a high level. 145 career combined tackles with 8.5 TFL in 3 years:













(CB #26)













(CB #26)













(CB #26)









(CB #26)









(CB #26)









(CB #26)









Blitzing:





Jones is adept at blitzing off the edges, using his high IQ and awareness to make big plays in the backfield. He only has 1 career sack, but his 8 TFL's and pressures are impressive for a "cover corner":









(CB #26)









(CB #26)









Weaknesses:

Injury

Size

Off Man/No Bump

The biggest "weakness" or negative working against Jones is his Achilles injury. Though the injury is less sapping on physical ability than it used to be, it's still a very taxing injury. It's great to see Jones working so hard through this difficult time, but there's still no guarantee he returns to 100%.





One thing is apparent, Jones is more than willing to give up the short passes in order to prevent long passing gains. He routinely cedes hitches and comebacks, which are chain moving routes. This will sometimes frustrate fans, because it may appear Jones is losing his 1:1 battles.





Jones also occasionally struggles with smaller shifty WRs (Gabe Marks) in space when he can't physically dominate them. Against taller, more physical WRs (Smith-Schuster), Jones will sometimes get pushed around. Jones consistently struggled to disengage from blocks on the edge, and needs to improve on his technique:









Injury:





There's no telling what happens with Jones's Achilles injury, and it's the biggest question mark about his game. Even though his speed and athleticism weren't how he "won" his battles, it still gave him the edge against less talented players:





(This is a truly unfortunate injury, and I wish Sidney a speedy recover and a long NFL career)





Credit to Komo News for video footage









Size:





Jones isn't the biggest corner, and his slim build works against him versus bigger players. Jones plays with a lot of heart and determination, but his lack of overall strength hurts him at times. Struggles to consistently disengage from blockers:









(CB #26)









(CB #26)





Shows minimal effort to disengage from blocker:









(CB #26)









(CB #26)









(CB #26)





Struggles again with getting away from blocker and makes weak attempt at a tackle:









(CB #26)









Off Man/No Bump:





Jones is by far at his best with his hands on the receiver disrupting routes. He is able to play off man and bail and run, showing versatility, but gives up more receptions than when in bump. When he can't get hands on a WR he will occasionally lose them on the route:









(CB #26)









(CB #26)









(CB #26)













Conclusion:





After such a thorough review of Jones's tape, I'm beyond certain that he is worth the risk that came with his selection. His game was never reliant on being a superior athlete, and even if he loses a step he still has the prerequisite skills to succeed in the NFL. At worst, if he develops into a high caliber #2 corner, I would still argue that he was worth the wait.





The reason I wholeheartedly believe in tape study is because clips and highlights don't give you a full understanding. Coming in to this I misinterpreted Sidney Jones for a finesse corner that would struggle with the rugged physicality of the NFL. After only a game or two I was shocked to realize that Jones was the contact INITIATOR, often times coming up and delivering big hits on much larger ball carriers. Jones gave it to JuJu Smith-Schuster several times, and does not back down from bigger receivers. If Jones gets his hands on a WR he will defeat them more often than not. His impressive ball production is what will make him a standout in the NFL, with his ability to get the ball back for his offense.





It's not all rainbows and unicorns for him however, as Jones has a long way to go in regards to his block shedding, and will have to work at his technique. Even though he's a willing tackler, he will steer clear of contact on occasions, instead of maximizing potential turnover opportunities. He will need to improve on his overall strength, so he can continue to deliver big hits at the NFL level. Quick footed receivers will shake Jones at the LOS and if Jones can't get his hands on them, he will give up quick easy receptions.





I'm curious, and excited, to see how Jim Schwartz uses Jones in his defense. With the addition of Rasul Douglas, Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin has a quasi- Chris Harris /Aqib Talib pairing to work with. Everything at this point comes down to development, and Sidney Jones has everything he needs to be a Pro Bowl caliber corner, and the answer to the Eagles CB woes.









Pro Comparison: Ronde Barber





I know that the popular comp is Marcus Peters , or even Desmond Trufant , but I feel Jones has the long-term play making capability of Ronde Barber. Like Barber, Jones has the skill to consistently turn offenses over in a variety of ways, is a physical tackler, and has a high football IQ.





When Ronde Barber went #66 overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, he was a productive football player out of UVA, but didn't perform that well from a measurables standpoint. Barber went on to seriously outperform his draft position, and did it with pure will and determination. What Barber lacked in physical attributes, he made up for with dedicated film study and high football awareness.





I'm not necessarily predicting that Jones will become a HOF caliber player (though it's possible!), but I do believe Jones will be a player opposing QBs avoid throwing towards. Jones can battle with the bigger WRs in our division, and will be able to physically overpower smaller shifty WRs that dare enter "Sidney Lake". If, like Barber, Jones continues to hone his craft and study his opponent, he can be the next great DB to rock the Eagles Kelly Green.









I hope you enjoyed this deep dive of Sidney Jones's game film, please REC, comment, and vote below!



