Sidney Jones Declares for 2017 NFL Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Washington defensive back Sidney Jones announced Tuesday that he's going to forgo his senior season with the Huskies to enter the 2017 NFL draft. 

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press shared word of Jones' decision along with Budda Baker, Elijah Qualls and John Ross all leaving Washington for the draft.

Jones came into the campaign with a lot of hype, and for the most part, he lived up to it. The playmaking junior racked up 34 total tackles, six pass breakups, three interceptions and a forced fumble across the Huskies' 12 regular-season games.

His lockdown ability in coverage is his greatest asset, however, and it's not always something that's easy to quantify on the stat sheet. He's got the speed to guard against the deep ball but is also physical enough to win battles at the line of scrimmage.

One area in which he showed noticeable improvement throughout 2016 was run support. The California native showed increased awareness coming off the edge to make key stops. Rob Rang of CBS Sports passed along one example of that:

It's another step toward becoming the complete cornerback package. His on-field production is just part of the equation, though. He's also putting in the work off the field to get better.

Percy Allen of the Seattle Times passed along comments from Jones back in August about his work in the film room to dissect his own game and also those wide receivers he's going to face:

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Being prepared—whether that's knowing your assignments or putting in film study—builds that trust and everything else. And you build that way before the play starts or the game begins.

So now when you're in that 1-on-1 battle, you're better able to relax. You got to be patient at the line because he (the receiver) is going to shift, shake and do whatever, but he has to go in a direction. Don't let him shake you. Be comfortable and be still and be in that moment. That takes care of half the problem.

Then when it's time to make a play, make the play.

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The only real knock against him is size. He checks in a 6'0" in an area where teams are falling in love with bigger, more physical corners. But his game easily overshadows that.

Now that Jones has officially decided to head for the NFL, the focus shifts to proving he should become the first corner off the board in April. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has Jones as his No. 26 prospect and his No. 5 cornerback.

But regardless of where he lands on draft day, he's a prospect who's ready to contribute from day one of his NFL career. And it's always a nice luxury when a coaching staff doesn't have to worry about a rookie putting in the extra time away from the practice field to get himself ready.

While there's little doubt opponents are going to test Jones by forcing him to defend taller wideouts and throwing jump balls in his direction, he's ready for the challenge. The skill set is there for him to become a legitimate top corner at the next level.