From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on William & Mary CB Jalen Jones.
No. 2 Jalen Jones/CB William & Mary – 5116, 1989 pounds (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Jalen Jones 5116/189 9 1/2 32 77 1/2
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
THE GOOD
– Good arm length and frame, meets benchmarks for NFL size
– Competitive player who displays overall fighter mentality
– Works hard to recover vertically and challenge vertical throws
– Willing tackler in run support with flashes of power
– Gets receivers/runners down in open grass
– Highly productive and decorated career
– Good hands when given the chance to make plays underneath
– Left/right cornerback experience
– Rarely penalized
The Bad
– Average athlete across the board
– Slow to transition at the top of the route
– Always feels a half-step slow on vertical routes
– Prone to being fooled by double-moves
– Jam/press is inconsistent, punch doesn’t always land
– Too easily engulfed by WR stalk blocks and late to shed in the run game
– Moments of bad tackling technique, throwing shoulders, or shoving instead of wrapping
– Can take bad angles, rallying to throws underneath and missing
– Lacks a defining trait to make the jump to the NFL level
Stats
– Career: 128 tackles (4.5 TFL), 51 PDs, 8 INTs, 3 FFs across 47 games
– 2025: 39 tackles (2.5 TFL), 12 PDs, 2 INTs across 11 games
– Career: 2,516 defensive snaps (four-year starter)
– 2,189 outside corner snaps, 37 in slot for career
– Three career penalties (just one over the last three seasons)
– PFF’s No. 62 overall CB in 2025 among 222 FCS qualifiers (No. 73 coverage, No. 74 run defense)
– Eight career TDs allowed, eight INTs, per PFF
– 14.8 career missed tackle rate (15 percent in 2025)
– Nine receiving TDs and nine INTs throughout HS career
Injury History
– 2024: briefly left the game after making a tackle against Coastal Carolina, but returned next series
– 2025: lower body injury against Virginia in the second half, did not return and missed the following game; injured in the first game back against Villanova
– 2025: briefly left in the first quarter after making a tackle against Hampton, but soon returned
Bio
– Age unknown
– From Chesapeake, Virginia
– Joined William & Mary as a preferred walk-on but earned a scholarship in 2022 after securing a starting job (surprise announcement right before playoffs)
– Had W&M connection to Ras-I Dowling, who attended Jones’ Deep Creek HS a decade prior and was on W&M’s staff when Jones came out of HS
– Three-time All-CAA selection (2023-2025) with All-American recognition, but some non-AP outlets
– Has eight siblings
– 2025 team captain
– Track & field star in HS; became state champ long jumper in 2019 and runner-up in triple jump
– Had 4.0 HS GPA
Tape Breakdown
Jalen Jones went from a walk-on to having a wonderful career at William & Mary. A three-time all-conference selection, Jones consistently challenged throws and broke them up.
He has shown the ability to tackle and support the run. The only weird blip came against Virginia, where Jones was dreadful, but the rest of his tape was good. This first clip is a great rep. Jones takes the receiver blocking him and runs him into the receiver on the smoke screen for the TFL.
Negatively, he seems to be an average athlete with okay speed. He’s slow to transition at the top of the route and struggles to close.
He takes poor angles to the ball coming downhill in coverage, causing him to miss.
Jones is also routinely glued to receiver stalk blocks and struggles mightily in shedding them.
Conclusion
Overall, Jalen Jones had an excellent career. The production can’t be ignored. But the tape wasn’t as dominant as you’d like, and I struggle to identify a standout trait in his game that can translate to the NFL level. He’s worthy of a camp invite or, at best, a low-level UDFA deal, but nothing beyond that. And that’s mostly because of a strong college career and competitive mentality.
My NFL comp is Breon Borders.
NFL Projection: Undrafted-Tryout
Steelers Depot Grade: 5.4 (Fringe Roster Player)
Grade Range: 4.8-5.7
Games Watched: at Coastal Carolina (2024), at Virginia (2025), at Furman (2025), at Hampton (2025)
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