Two Auburn defensive backs were present at the Tigers’ Pro Day on Monday, but only one participated in activities beside the usual position-specific drills.
That’s because Jonathan Jones was invited to the NFL Draft Combine, while Blake Countess was left without an invite.
Jones ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any defensive back at the combine with a 4.33, so it’s understandable why he would choose to let that time sit.
Countess, however, only had Monday to prove his worth to the 55 NFL scouts and coaches in attendance, and prove it he did.
Countess’ 21 reps on the 225-pound bench press would’ve been the most out of any defensive back at the Combine, and his 36.5-inch vertical would’ve tied him for 10th-best. His 40 time of 4.49 would’ve pegged him in the top half of his position.
When that Combine invite didn’t come, Countess could’ve taken that as a sign he wasn’t destined for the NFL. But he did the exact opposite.
“As a competitor you want to be in those places; you want to be able to compete with the best,” Countess said. “To not get an invite is definitely a motivator. You have to control what you can control and just keep moving forward.”
The transfer from Michigan came to Auburn for his senior season and was one of the most versatile players on the defense. He played cornerback, nickel corner, slot corner and safety, doing whatever his coaches asked.
“Blake is a football player,” said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. “He is a football player from the word go. From what he did for us, he played safety, corner, nickel. He was one of our best special teams players. He’ll be somebody that is a very good football player at the next level.”
Countess racked up 71 tackles and a pair of interception in his lone season on The Plains, providing a steady presence in a secondary that suffered several injuries throughout the year.
His partner at cornerback, Jones, had been hampered by injuries for a large part of the season but played through them.
But once the season had ended and Jones was able to recover, he proved why he was the only Auburn player named to the Coaches’ All-SEC First Team in August.
He turned heads with his performance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, and his performance at the Combine only made those heads turn farther.
In addition to his 4.33 40, Jones put up 19 reps on the bench press, tied for second at his position.
"I think people are excited to see what I can do," Jones said. "They’re excited about what I’ve shown so far, so hopefully whatever team I go to, I can compete to play and get on the field … I think a lot of people said I'm trending in the right direction from the Senior Bowl, I kind of opened up some eyes there. Then going into the Combine, having a good workout, and showing people the things I can do.”
Following the Combine, ESPN Draft Analyst Todd McShay sang Jones’ praises.
“You can’t get over the height, but I do think as a nickel corner, he’s got a chance to be a pretty good player,” McShay said in a teleconference with reporters on March 1. “He certainly helped himself, but I’m wondering now if we’re looking at late Day 2 or early Day 3. If you run that kind of time, history kind of tells you you’re not going to get out of the first four rounds of the draft.”
Jones, who stands at 5-foot-9 ¼ and Countess, who comes in at 5-foot-9 ¾, don’t possess they prototypical size NFL teams have come to expect from cornerbacks. But with the chatter they’ve sparked based on their performances in the last two weeks, Jones and Countess haven’t seen the end of their playing days quite yet.
Jones will likely hear his name called in the middle rounds of the draft, while Countess’ destination is still up in the air.
Countess came to Auburn for just one year, and he could’ve looked back at the disappointing 7-6 season with regret, but he expressed nothing but gratitude for his one year with the Tigers.
“Auburn has been great to me,” Countess said. “Before I got here, we had a plan about what I wanted to do, and we executed that plan, from special teams to playing multiple positions on defense and playing at a high level. I was definitely pleased with the way Auburn handled things, and I think I definitely helped myself this year.”
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