Byron Jones provided the first glimpse of his athleticism when he took off on a bicycle without training wheels as a 3-year-old. As a Little League shortstop, he often made diving stops to the second-base side.
When he attended St. Paul High School in Bristol, Conn., his leaping ability and his instincts helped him become a forceful basketball center at 6 feet 1. In football, his versatility allowed him to make a seamless transition from quarterback to wide receiver and defensive back midway through his high school career, during which he was also a track standout. Jones made another seemingly effortless switch from safety to cornerback halfway through his tenure at Connecticut.