In the third round the Miami Dolphins selected Brandon Jones to join their revamped defense. One that saw them trade away free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers during the season. Over the offseason they signed free agent Byron Jones to fill one cornerback spot. During the first round, Miami chose Noah Igbinoghene out of Auburn to be their new nickel cornerback.
Jones is likely going to start out being a contributor on the special teams units as most rookies do in their first seasons in the NFL. With how NFL offenses work in today’s game, they put a lot of pressure on the defense with three, four and even five wide receiver looks. Teams will counter with sub packages and that is where Brandon Jones will likely see a majority of his gameday action.
The projected starting lineup for the Fins likely has Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain as the safeties in 2020. McCain started eight games at safety a season ago, but played cornerback in the four seasons prior. Rowe was also a cornerback in Philadelphia and New England before moving to safety for the Miami Dolphins. Jones will likely take some rotational snaps until he can hopefully become a full-time starter for second year head coach Brian Flores.
“At Texas, if not their best defensive player, he was arguably one of the top two. Outstanding football player. That’s a real nice pick at that point in the third round. I watched a lot of games this year and he looked like a mid second-rounder so you’re getting pretty good value here with a real versatile safety, athletic safety in Brandon Jones.” – ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr
It remains to be seen exactly how they will utilize Jones at this moment, but you have to like the potential that he brings to a relative young football team.