The Arizona Cardinals find themselves on the board for the fourth time in the third round and add to what is building up to be an impressive rookie class. Arizona’s secondary was paper-thin heading into this draft, but they addressed it for the second time this draft with the selection of Boston College cornerback Elijah Jones.
It’s likely that Jones will be locked into a camp battle with the corner selected in the second round by Arizona in Rutgers cornerback Max Melton. There isn’t that much of a gap between the two talent-wise, and Jones could come away as the number one corner. With Sean Murphy-Bunting locking down the nickel role, it may very well be two rookies holding down the fort on the outsides of this defense.
Experienced, long, and built for the position, Jones was solid during his three years as a starter with the Golden Eagles and should be well-positioned to take on the bigger receivers in the league. This is good value for a corner who is ready to go Day 1 in the NFL.
Grade: B+
