Kansas City Chiefs take another defensive back with their final 2023 NFL draft pick, select Ball State’s Nic Jones

The Kansas City Chiefs finished off their all-defensive third day of the 2023 NFL draft by taking another defensive back with the 250th-overall pick, Nic Jones from Ball State.

Over the past four years, Jones played in 29 games for Ball State, with 64 career tackles, three interceptions and 19 pass breakups to his credit. His best season was his last one, in which he set new single-season career highs in all three of those categories (with 23 tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups) and earned second-team All-MAC honors.

Jones also had average athletic testing numbers, posting a 6.32 Relative Athletic Score.

“It’s surreal,” Jones said during his introductory Zoom call. “It’s one thing to get picked, and it’s another to get picked by a team you were hoping to go to.”

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com complimented Jones’ size, ability to jump routes and special teams potential while profiling him ahead of the draft, but conceded that there are several areas where he needs work.

“Jones plays with a lane-jumping mentality in off coverage when flat-footed but could succumb to double moves in the pros,” Zierlein wrote. “Shoddy tackling will work against him, but teams will appreciate his ability to challenge punts and kicks off the edge.”

The Chiefs have now made four seventh-round picks over the last two years and have spent three of them on defensive backs. Along with Jones this year, Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson were both late Day 3 picks in 2022.

Out of seven total picks in this year’s draft, the Chiefs took five defensive players including four on Saturday. Jones joins fourth-round pick Chamarri Conner as the newest defensive backs in Kansas City, while the Chiefs also added three players to their defensive line. That includes first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah and fifth-round pick B.J. Thompson on the edge, plus sixth-round selection Keondre Coburn at defensive tackle.