There’s always an interesting dynamic when college players join new teams in the NFL. Rivalries forged in college can lead to fun interactions in the locker room at the professional level.
The MAC conference doesn’t always get the most press as other conferences, but it has produced high-quality NFL talent. Second-year receiver Skyy Moore was a star at Western Michigan before being drafted by the Chiefs and had his share of battles with Ball State’s Nic Jones, who was selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the draft.
Jones told reporters on Sunday that he played against Moore on three separate occasions.
“Well, I would say, we as a whole (the Ball State defense) won those battles because it was never just one guy guarding Skyy (Moore),” said Jones. “If you’ve got Skyy one-on-one – it was a handful of plays – but like, if you’ve got Skyy one-on-one, it was always going to be a safety giving you that look (and) letting you know that you’ve got a little help because he was dangerous.”
The two players faced off on October 9th, 2021, with Ball State coming out on top 45-20. Moore finished with seven catches for 81 yards, while Jones tallied four tackles in the victory.
Asked what Moore would say about him, Jones was quite confident he’d get a positive review from his new teammate.
“He’ll tell you, he’ll tell you. He’d say I was one of them guys. We probably gave him the best game out of everybody in the MAC,” said Jones. “you know he never gave us crazy work, and still Skyy Moore, you know he went off on everybody.”
Jones was named second-team All-MAC after tying for the Ball State lead with 12 pass breakups, intercepting two passes in 11 games. He will be competing for playing time in a loaded cornerback room in Kansas City, but he’s already turning heads with his play at rookie minicamp.
