BSU football's Nic Jones drafted by Super Bowl champs; 2 other Cardinals signed as UDFA's

MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State football weaved its way into the NFL Draft.

Junior cornerback Nic Jones on Saturday was selected in the seventh round (250th overall) by the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

He is the 30th Cardinal to ever by drafted into the NFL and the second since head coach Mike Neu took over the program in 2016. The last BSU footballer to be drafted was offensive guard Danny Pinter, who was selected in the fifth round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, and the last Cardinal defensive back chosen was Justin Beriault by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round in 2005.

Jones was one of six Mid-American Conference players picked in this year's draft. His announcement, however, might've been the most unique.

Jones was the only Ball State player who participated in this year's NFL Combine, garnering an invite after his breakout 2022 campaign in which he tallied 23 total tackles, two interceptions, a team-high 14 passes defended and a Second Team All-MAC nod.

That performance earned Jones an invite to January's East-West bowl, when he reportedly did well during one-on-one drills in the week of practices leading up to the game and shined with a third-down pass breakup and an interception in the contest.

The Detroit native was a two-year starter at BSU. After suffering a season-ending injury in 2021 that limited him to just six games played, Jones was named a team captain last fall while leading the secondary alongside Amechi Uzodinma II.

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Uzodinma, Amos sign as UDFA's

Jones may have been the only Cardinal who heard his name called, but two of his teammates were signed as undrafted free agents by NFL teams soon after the draft concluded.

Uzodinma was, reportedly, signed by the Los Angeles Chargers. The cornerback spent all five of his collegiate seasons at BSU and earned Second Team All-MAC honors in 2019 and 2022. His 44 career passes defended are the most in program history, and he added 172 tackles (138 solo), 10 interceptions, two forced fumbles and fumble recoveries and served as kick returner the past two years.

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Defensive back Jaquan Amos was, reportedly, signed by the Baltimore Ravens. He played three seasons at Villanova and one at Iowa State before finishing his collegiate career with the Cardinals, where he was a major addition in 2022 by totaling 95 tackles (third most on team), 61 solo (tied for first), with 6.5 TFLs, one interception and six passes defended.

NOTE: This article will be updated if more Ball State football players sign as undrafted free agents.

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State football Nic Jones NFL draft Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl