FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Deion Jones initially tried to brush it off as no big deal, but the Atlanta Falcons' Pro Bowl middle linebacker's smile revealed just how flattered he was about the high praise.

A number of folks going through this year's draft process -- executives, coaches, agents and prospects themselves -- have mentioned Jones as the type of linebacker teams are trying to add to their roster. It's quite the compliment, considering the 6-foot-1 Jones, who plays at around 230 pounds, is entering just his third season and has much more to accomplish. But his blazing speed and playmaking ability -- 246 tackles, six interceptions, two defensive touchdowns and 13 pass breakups through 31 games -- already speak volumes.

"It's a blessing," Jones said of being mentioned in such high regard. "Just a little kid from New Orleans who never even fathomed that he would be like the prototypical linebacker that people are looking for. It moves me. But I don't want nobody to be me. I want everybody to hone their own game and play their own style. Nobody has to be me."

Top linebacker prospect Roquan Smith said he's drawn comparisons to Jones through the draft process. The 6-1, 236-pound Georgia product is projected as a top-10 pick by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.

"I haven't talked to him but the games I did see, he has motor," Jones said of Smith. "He plays fast. He plays with all his heart. That's a good thing. That's definitely going to help him out in the league."

Another linebacker compared to Jones is Oren Burks, a fast-rising prospect from Vanderbilt. Burks (6-3, 233) might not have the same blazing speed, but his athleticism [39.5 vertical] and long arms have NFL teams intrigued.

Burks has studied film of Jones.

"More recently, I've followed his game a lot more, trying to watch some highlights of how he made that transition to the league and became an impact player," said Burks, projected as possibly a second-day pick. "Look at the combine numbers, I thought I stacked up pretty well to him. It's kind of interesting to see how you match up with guys who have proven they can do it."

Burks and Jones each ran the 40 in 4.59 seconds at the combine. However, Jones' stock soared to another level when he turned around at LSU pro day and ran a blistering 4.38. It certainly got the Falcons' attention, as they went on to select Jones in the second round of the 2016 draft.

"Pro day, that clock helped a lot," Jones said with a laugh. "I knew I was a 4.4 guy. That's what I was hitting when I was training. It was very intimidating at the combine, to tell you the truth. At LSU, I had my support behind me, my brothers. I knew I had put on for my boys."

Talk of being undersized never fazed Jones because he knew what he was capable of being a playmaker. The prospects in this year's draft should carry the same mentality based how the perception of the type of linebacker has changed.

"That old-time, prototypical, downhill inside linebacker who stuffs the run, all that point-of-attack stuff is secondary to coverage," said one NFC assistant who works with linebackers. "People are looking more for that guy who has coverage ability who can cover those backs who are coming out. And the NFC South might be the toughest division in terms of covering running backs.

"From an athletic standpoint, there's probably about a half a dozen guys in this draft like [Jones] that people know about. The reason people overlooked Deion is because he was a bit undersized. But some people just don't do their homework, and they miss an opportunity to get a guy like that."