A to Z Sports is reviewing the New England Patriots’ 2022 NFL Draft class ahead of the team’s upcoming organized team activities next week.

Next up in our Patriots 2022 NFL Draft review is a third-round pick who proved in 2022 that he could make an impact in all three phases of the game.

Round 3, Pick 85: Houston CB Marcus Jones

2022 Summary: In what amounted to a disappointing and uninspiring 2022 Patriots season, Jones’ performance as a cornerback, return specialist and offensive playmaker was a bright spot. He intercepted two passes, had a pick six, broke up six passes, recovered a fumble and made 39 tackles on defense, returned 29 punts for 362 yards with a touchdown and 27 kicks for 645 yards and caught four passes for 78 yards with a touchdown on offense in 15 games with four total starts.

What lies ahead: The sky seems to be the limit for Jones. It just depends on how much the Patriots want to put on his plate.

Jones has the talent to be New England’s starting slot cornerback, top kick and punt returner and even a situational receiver on offense. The big question is whether the Patriots would want a starting defender to also take a beating as a kick and punt returner and how many snaps they’d actually give him on offense.

Last season, Jones played 553 total snaps. Here was his breakdown:

Defense: 371
Special teams: 164
Offense: 18

New England certainly could take Jones off kick coverage duties and spread those snaps around on offense and defense. Jones is just 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, so it was slightly odd that the majority of his defensive snaps came on the outside rather than filling in for Myles Bryant in the slot. With 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez, Jack Jones and Jonathan Jones all options to play outside, it seems more logical for New England to work Marcus Jones into the slot as much as possible this season.

Still, the Patriots are probably best suited using Marcus Jones all over the field in all three phases of the game. He can play outside and in the slot on defense, return kicks and punts and be used as an occasional change-of-pace playmaker on offense. He might not be a 17-game starter, but he can still make a massive impact on this year’s team.

He has the ability to be one of the Patriots' best overall players. And it's scary to imagine how good he could become with a second-year leap.

Other 2022 NFL Draft picks: OT Andrew Stueber, G Chasen Hines, DT Sam Roberts, RB Kevin Harris, QB Bailey Zappe, RB Pierre Strong, CB Jack Jones