Byron Jones Has Impressive Pro Day

In February, Byron Jones blew the doors off the NFL Combine and he didn't even run the 40-yard dash.

In February, Byron Jones blew the doors off the NFL Combine and he didn't even run the 40-yard dash.  Instead, the former UConn cornerback's broad jump measured 12 feet, 3 inches. Not only is that eight inches better than the previous combine mark, but it would have been a world record (12'2" has stood since 1968). And his vertical leap was 44.5 inches, just a half-inch behind the combine-best 45 inches Chris Conley jumped on Saturday.

On Tuesday, UConn had its pro day and Jones continued to impress coaches and scouts with his physical gifts. He ran the 40 and he did it in a blistering 4.36 seconds.

But Jones knows this isn't about winning a blue ribbon in Field Day but being productive at the next level.

"My main goal is not to be a world-record holder or run the fastest 40, my main goal is to be a great NFL player," he said after his pro day, according to the New Haven Register. "This is a small step in my journey towards being a great NFL player."

Jones' jaw-dropping numbers at the combine and his pro day have moved him into the first round of some mock drafts. He's paying no mind to the attention.

"I didn't care then and don't care now and only care about the combine record and took care of that," Jones said. "I guess just more interest, anything that could get more people in your corner, they want to look at you and you physical ability and football ability."

But Jones is more than a workout warrior. UConn coach Bob Diaco has been talking him up long before his senior season was cut short by injury.

"I think he will be one of the best players in the country,” Diaco said last summer. "Everyone will see it eventually when they put him in those compression shorts [at combines]. You will see a tall, long, lean and fast and explosive and athletic player. His numbers, with our developmental process, you are going to see at the end of the day one of the best tangibly gifted cornerback players in the country.

"[Y]ou factor in this incredible résumé socially, academically, he's an 'A' student and on all the committees. At that position, he has some intangible traits that are an incredible commodity."

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