Another Alabama player is being added to the list of pre-draft visitors to One Bills Drive. According to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson, cornerback Cyrus Jones is the latest name to know:
Alabama cornerback-kick returner Cyrus Jones to visit Ravens, Eagles, Bills, Saints; work out privately for Panthers, Buccaneers
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 23, 2016
Jones, who stands 5'10" and 197 pounds, has played in 51 games for the Crimson Tide, a receiver as a freshman and a cornerback for the rest of his career. Jones gained a reputation as a playmaker at Alabama, collecting seven interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 25 passes defended in his three years as a cornerback. In 2015, he also had a breakout season as a punt returner, setting Alabama's single season record with four punt return touchdowns.
While Jones doesn't have ideal size for a boundary cornerback, He's very shifty in the short area, which makes him a possible option as a nickel corner. He definitely showed some excellent footwork during positional drills at the NFL Combine. Still, as a shorter corner, the question he'll have to answer is what separates him from Javier Arenas. Arenas, who stands 5'9" and 197 pounds, was another long-time starter for the Crimson Tide with a reputation as a great punt returner. A second round pick, Arenas had a few decent seasons for the Chiefs, played sparingly for the Falcons for a year, then spent the year 2015 inactive before signing a futures contract with the Bills. Fair or not, the performance of players like Arenas should factor into how teams evaluate Jones, probably pushing him to the middle rounds of the draft.