Byron Jones

Prior to the NFL Scouting Combine, Jones was ranked the 25th best cornerback prospect in the draft by NFL.com.

He was one of 54 defensive backs to receive an invitation to the NFL combine.

Byron Philip Jones (born September 26, 1992) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent.

At the 2010 NVL Outdoor T&F Championships, he earned first-place finishes in both the 200-meter dash (22.13s) and 400-meter dash (48.43s).

In football, he received Class MM All-State and All-Naugatuck Valley honors as a senior and team captain.

He was considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.

He also played basketball.

Jones accepted a scholarship from the University of Connecticut Huskies.

As a redshirt freshman, he started 2 games at cornerback and six of the final seven games at safety.

He recorded 51 tackles (sixth on the team), one fumble recovery, 2 interceptions and 4 passes defensed.

He returned a fumble for a game-winning touchdown against the University of South Florida.

As a sophomore, he started 12 games at safety, tallying 88 tackles (third on the team), one interception and 2 passes defensed.

The next year, he was switched to cornerback, starting 11-of-12 games, while registering 60 tackles (fourth on the team), 3 interceptions and 8 passes defensed.

Jones started 7 games at cornerback as a senior, posting 24 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 passes defensed.

He had a 70-yard interception return against the University of South Florida in what ESPN announcers called "what might be the UConn play of the year".

He missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury suffered in a loss against East Carolina University.

He finished his college career with 223 total tackles, 8 interceptions and 2 touchdowns.

At the NFL combine, he set a new combine and world record for standing broad jump by leaping 12 feet, 3 inches (3.73m), surpassing Jamie Collins's old record of 11 feet, 7 inches (3.53m) set in 2013.

He was limited to the bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, short shuttle, and three-cone drill.

Jones also finished first of all combine participants in the vertical leap.

His combine performance gave him an immediate rise up draft boards and made him a top defensive back prospect.

He played college football at UConn, and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft after a stellar combine performance.

He holds the unofficial world record for the standing long jump at 12 feet 3 inches (3.73 meters).

He played five seasons for the Cowboys, where he was once named Second-team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl.

A free agent after his fifth season, Jones signed a five-year, $82 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at the time.

Jones attended St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol, Connecticut and played for Jude Kelly.

He was a gifted track & field athlete, and was one of the state's top performers in the 200m and 400m.

On March 31, 2015, Jones attended UConn's pro day, along with Deshon Foxx, Geremy Davis, B. J. McBryde, and five others.

He completed his combine drills and ran positional drills run by Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer was one of the team representatives and scouts from 29 NFL teams who attended his pro day, along with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.

Jones had private workouts and visits with the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Jones was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.

He was ranked as the third best cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, was ranked the seventh best cornerback by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and was ranked the seventh best cornerback in the draft by Sports Illustrated.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Jones in the first round (27th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.

He was the fourth cornerback selected in 2015.

On June 11, 2015, the Cowboys signed Jones to a four-year, $8.60 million contract that included $6.93 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $6.51 million.

Throughout training camp, Jones competed for a job as a starting cornerback, against Morris Claiborne and Tyler Patmon, after Orlando Scandrick tore his MCL and ACL.

Head coach Jason Garrett named Jones the backup cornerback behind Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Cowboys' season-opener against the New York Giants and made his first career tackle on Eli Manning during their 27–26 victory.

On October 25, 2015, Jones recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and two pass deflections in the Cowboys' 27–20 loss at the Giants.