Jones was chosen to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl following his senior year. Jones accepted his invitation to participate in the Senior Bowl on November 29, 2017. Scouts were intrigued by his quickness during Senior Bowl workouts, which increased the worth of his draft status. He played inside and outside linebacker during his final season at West Virginia. Jones is from Palmdale, California. He attended Westlake High School before moving on to play football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. As a Mountaineer, he started 11 games over the past two seasons after appearing in just three as a freshman. His career totals include 85 tackles, 7 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He received an invite to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds and had a vertical jump of 42 inches. Those are excellent numbers for a linebacker. After the combine, it was announced that Jones would be participating in WVU's Pro Day on March 28. This is when former players return to their alma mater to showcase their skills for coaches and scouts ahead of May's NFL Draft. Jones was rated as the number one outside linebacker by ESPN's Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. He was also ranked fifth by his fellow panelists at the Senior Bowl.