KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the second straight season, the Kansas City Chiefs used a seventh-round pick on a cornerback, making Ball State cornerback Nic Jones their final pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“It’s surreal, a dream come true to say the least,” Jones said. “It’s one thing to get picked and it’s another to get picked by a team you were hoping to get picked by.”
Jones said Kansas City’s history with drafting, developing and playing defensive backs taken in later rounds made it an attractive landing spot.
“And obviously, with their recent success, who wouldn’t want to be a Chief?” Jones said.
Jones, originally from Detroit, is 6-foot and 189-pounds. He totaled 23 tackles and 14 passes defended as a senior with the Cardinals.
He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine but plays faster and has experience playing inside and outside in coverage.
“I’m a dog; I’m hungry,” Jones said. “I’m a risk-taker. The regular people who sit and watch games, they can relate to me because everything I’ve done has been the hard way.”
Jones started receiving calls from teams interested in potentially adding him as an undrafted free agent, but he’d also been in contact with Pat Sperduto, the Chiefs’ co-director of college scouting.
“For that call to come through last second, I remember the last text I sent to Pat was, ‘Bring me home,’” Jones said. “As soon as the call came through, he sent me a text that said, ‘Welcome home’ and it was surreal, like a dream put all the way together.”
Jones also had extensive special-teams experience at Ball State and will embrace that role in the NFL as well.
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