FOXBORO — Jonathan Jones is like most veteran NFL cornerbacks.
Athletic, fast, competitive and confident. In several games last season, Jones happily accepted the assignment of covering an opposing No. 1 receiver.
So what did he make of the Patriots taking a corner with their first pick in the draft, effectively acknowledging they needed help at the position? Jones, it turns out, was happy.
“We needed it,” he told reporters Tuesday/ “We need help. We need all the help that we can get. We’ve had a lot of transition at that position over the last few years.”
The 29-year-old is now the elder statesman of the Pats’ secondary, as the longest-tenured defensive back on the roster. He flipped to outside corner last season after spending the first six years of his career as a nickelback. Jones has also moonlighted at safety.
Largely, he succeeded as the Patriots’ new No. 1 corner last year, though his matchups with elite wideouts down the stretch, including two with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs and another with Vikings star Justin Jefferson, were decisive losses.
Enter Christian Gonzalez.
The 6-foot-2, 199-pounder rookie is an athletic marvel, who thrived played man and zone in college. Gonzalez, 20, was considered a top-10 pick entering the draft, but fell to 17th overall where the Patriots scooped him up. He recently started participating in the team’s rookie minicamp along with the other first-year players on the roster.
Jones gave Gonzalez, and late-round rookie corners Ameer Speed and Isaiah Bolden, high marks for the first impressions they’ve made inside the team facility.
“In the meetings, they’re trying to answer questions. They’re participating, and that’s a start,” Jones said. “All the guys have been in there. We’ve met them all. They’ve all just bought in — answering questions, asking questions and just trying to learn.”
As for what position Jones will play, considering his versatility, Devin McCourty’s departure at free safety and the potential for Gonzalez and second-year corner Jack Jones to start outside, he stayed mum on the topic.
“My answer to that is I get to play football,” he said with a laugh. “Any time I get to go out there in between those lines, I love it. So I’m not really particularly worried about where I play, where I end up. I just like to be out there with my teammates.”