Jaylon Jones turns pro
Texas A&M junior cornerback Jaylon Jones announced Sunday evening that he would forego his senior season and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
Jones, a former 5-star recruit who started every game he played in for three seasons, made his announcement on social media.
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Even though Jones missed two games and part of a third due to injuries, he still put in an All-SEC caliber campaign. He had 33 tackles, 2 passes broken up and forced and recovered a fumble. Opponents quickly decided not to challenge him, throwing his way just 19 times all season and completing 10. The passes didn't go very far, as he give up a piddling average of 9.4 yards per game to opposing receivers.
Initial draft scouting reports largely have Jones going somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. If that proves to be the case, his decision will prove to be a prescient one.
What it means for the Aggies
It means they've lost a team leader and one of their best players for 2023. Jones never got the respect he deserved, even this year as opponents shied away from challenging him.
As it stands now, the Aggies have Tyreek Chappell, Bobby Taylor, Smoke Bouie, Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Deuce Harmon in the cornerback room. After Harmon was knocked out with an ankle injury, Bouie and Chappell were the only corners besides Jones to see significant playing time. As a result, Bouie may get the first look this spring.
This also makes it all the more important to get 4-star corners Bravion Rogers and Jayvon Thomas signed and on campus. The Aggies need to develop all the depth they can, and players of their talent could definitely help quickly.
Chappell is an all-conference caliber corner himself, but after him, there's not a whole lot of experience at the corner position. That could mean the Aggies look for corners in the transfer portal, which opens tomorrow.