Dolphins bring in FSU cornerback who had one of nation’s best passer ratings against

The Dolphins, who are seeking additional cornerbacks to join the competition behind starters Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller, brought Florida State’s Jarrian Jones to team headquarters for a pre-draft visit on Friday, according to a league source.

Jones, who’s 6-0 and 191 pounds, played one season at Mississippi State and the past four seasons at FSU, where he had five interceptions.

Last season, he had three interceptions, a sack, five tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and 25 tackles.

His interception of a Tyler Van Dyke pass sealed FSU’s win against UM last November. He also had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown against Southern Mississippi.

Per Pro Football Focus, Jones last season permitted an exceptional 27.0 passer rating in his coverage area – 15 completions in 29 attempts for 149 yards, with three interceptions and no TDs allowed. That passer rating against was fourth best in the country among cornerbacks targeted at least 25 times.

Jones is a skilled nickel cornerback - a position that needs clarity on Miami’s defense.

Kader Kohou seemed likely to hold that job for the foreseeable future after a strong rookie season in 2022. But Kohou struggled last season, yielding a 133.4 passer rating in his coverage area, second worst among all NFL cornerbacks targeted at least 50 times.

The Dolphins likely will have competition at that position; Kohou, 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith and Nik Needham (who previously held the job) are the top internal candidates, and additional slot corners likely will be added in the draft process.

Those three cornerbacks and second-year player Ethan Bonner and former Bills special teams ace Siran Neal would be the team’s No. 3 through No. 7 corners, in whatever order, if the season started today. But that group assuredly will be supplemented either during or after the draft.

Neal, signed primarily for his special teams acumen, played just 63 and 45 defensive snaps for Buffalo over the past two seasons.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein described Jones as an “urgent cornerback with good size and above-average aggression in all aspects of his game. While Jones is all gas from snap to whistle, he can be clunky matching a receiver’s release and has a hard time transitioning through sharp break points without allowing glaring separation. His chase speed is average and he might require help over the top.

“He does a nice job of anticipating breaks from a shuffle and is effective from zone with a decent burst to close when playing forward. He’s aggressive in run support and battles for positioning in coverage. Jones’ limitations might be mitigated and his strengths maximized as a nickel cornerback playing forward from a zone-heavy cover scheme.”

Jones ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Jones was born in Magee, Mississippi and was a four-star prospect coming out of high school when he signed with Mississippi State.

Zierlein listed these as his strengths: “Competitive demeanor from snap to whistle…. Can play outside or slide down as a big nickel if needed…. Shuffles in a rhythm, anticipating the route break….Fights with route runner to maintain coverage leverage…. Takes an angle to the catch point and attacks the hands….Comes to work ready to do his part against the run.”

ESPN’s Matt Miller had Jones going in the fifth round, 141st overall, in his latest mock draft.

Teams are permitted to bring as many as 30 non-local draft prospects to team headquarters for meetings and medical checks. Jones counts as one of Miami’s ‘30’ visits.