Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots cornerback, punt returner and offensive gadget piece heading into his fourth season with the team.
The 2025 NFL Draft featured one of the most unique prospects in recent memory: Travis Hunter out of Colorado was projected as a top pick due to his ability to perform on both sides of the ball, a rarity in this day and age of pro football. Hunter is, of course, a unicorn considering his qualities as both a full(ish)-time receiver and cornerback, but he is not the only two-way player in the league today.
The New England Patriots have their own, for example: fourth-year man Marcus Jones.
Name: Marcus Jones
Position: Cornerback/Punt returner/Wide receiver
Jersey number: 25
Opening day age: 26 (10/22/1998)
Measurements: 5’8”, 188 lbs, 28 7/8” arm length, 8 7/8” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2022-) | College: Troy (2017-18), Houston (2019-21)
Seeing action at wide receiver, cornerback, and as a return man, Jones was ranked as a three-star recruit out of Enterprise High School in Enterprise, AL. He originally committed to his lone Power 5 offer, Purdue, but later changed course and joined Troy. He spent two seasons with the Trojans and appeared in 24 games with 10 starts.
After sitting out the 2019 season due to the NCAA’s transfer rules, Jones played 20 games with 17 starts at Houston. Proving himself a dangerous player with the ball in his hands, he became a three-way contributor again by his senior season, resulting in him winning the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. In total, he finished his college career with 11 touchdowns between offense, defense and special teams and was named an All-American three times, including as a consensus selection in 2021.
The Patriots liked what they saw and in 2022 made Jones the 85th overall selection in the third round of the NFL Draft. Since then, he has played 31 contests and continued to see action in all three phases of the game. He was voted first-team All-Pro punt returner as a rookie and has one receiving, interception return and punt return touchdown each on his pro résumé.
Strengths: Jones is a fluid athlete, who offers an intriguing blend of speed, acceleration and quickness. He combines this skillset with an advanced technical makeup that allows him to be a capable man coverage defender, whose best work comes in the slot. He has the footwork and poise to follow his assignments through their patterns, reads routes and recovers well, and has the vision and reactionary skills to play the ball in the air.
Jones’ coverage skills are complemented by a willingness to play the run. While lacking in size, he is a competitive player from a physical perspective — something that also shows up in press-man looks — and is a sound wrap-up tackler. He can hold down the edge versus the run, and has shown a red-hot motor when pursuing ball...
