Gunner by Heart, Lockdown Corner by Trade
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
Boston College cornerback Elijah Jones takes pride in his special teams play. It’s what got him on the field when he was a freshman in 2018.
Once a sprinter at Cardinal Hayes High School in New York, Jones has great speed, especially for his 6-foot-2 frame. Before getting to Chestnut Hill, he mostly played wide receiver on the gridiron.
In fact, as a senior, he averaged 26.1 yards per reception and finished the year with 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns, including a 99-yard score. When he got to BC, he was converted to cornerback.
But special teams gave him a chance to practice his releases again and make a break for it downfield.
Jones is still a gunner, probably the Eagles’ best, however, he’s also their top cover corner. It’s a position he didn’t start playing until his junior year at Cardinal Hayes. In the playoffs against St. Anthony’s.
Jones said that his team was getting shredded by St. Anthony’s slot receiver at the time.
“Our coach was just like, ‘Elijah go cover him,’” Jones recounted Tuesday. “And then I was like, ‘Alright, that's my job. I'm not going to lose my job.’”
He took off from there, playing both ways his senior year and piling up three picks, two forced fumbles and 22 tackles in 10 games.
Jones said that his development as a cornerback has been aided by players such as Hamp Cheevers, Taj-Amir Torres and even Brandon Sebastian, who Jones has played opposite of the last three seasons.
Jones started three games as a redshirt freshman in 2019, the first of which saw him post seven solo tackles at Notre Dame. He then had six solos against Cincinnati in the Birmingham Bowl.
Last year, Jones started seven games at corner and appeared in all 11. He registered five pass break-ups and logged a Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 68.5
He’s taken an even bigger jump this season, though. And so has the Eagles secondary, which has gone from tied for 82nd nationally in passing yards allowed per game to sixth.
Jones has already matched his snap count from last year (447), and he’s allowed 13 fewer receptions. The Harlem, New York, native leads BC in PFF coverage grade (79.5). He’s given up just 10 catches on 24 targets, in addition to recording a trio of pass break-ups.
“I think he’s playing as well as he’s played all year, really since we’ve been here,” second-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley said Tuesday. “He’s starting to really press well. I told him today, he’s doing a great job of getting his hands on people, staying square. He’s finishing more violent.”
Jones said that his length helps with pressing at the line. But he’s more than just physically talented. His understanding of the game has increased. And Hafley noted that he and the staff have started moving Jones around more, matching him up with specific receivers versus keeping him on one side of the field.
“I feel like I kind of relieve the pressure on whatever side I’m on when it comes to the boundary,” he said. “I like tight quarters, I like being able to press, so being able to just be in tight space, 1-on-1.
“I like to try to win my matchup.”
That goes for practice, too. Jones often finds himself matched up with star wideout Zay Flowers, who he said likes to talk a lot. But Jones admitted he does, too.
“It's been fun,” Jones said. “I embrace any challenge that somebody puts in front of me.”
