12 Gauge: Man of Mystery

Kyle Pollock Posted On June 26, 2015

jones

During Cardale Jones’ freshman year at Ohio State, he posted a now infamous tweet on Twitter. Most college football fans assumed this would be the last we would hear of Jones, just another bonehead jock who didn’t understand how fortunate they were to be getting a free education.

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Fast forward two years and he has led the Buckeyes to a National Championship and is garnering high praise among those in the scouting community. Jones’ three game stretch against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon has led many to believe he is the top quarterback in the 2016 draft. Let’s take a further look at Jones’ NFL prospects.

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PROS

Elite Arm Strength
Above Average Accuracy on Deep Balls
Size – 6’5”, 250 pounds
Confidence
Athletic Ability
Rushing Ability
Patience/Ability to Read Defense
Throw on the Run

Jones excels in the areas mentioned above. His arm strength paired with his accurate deep ball make his downfield throws nearly impossible to defend. If he were to land on a team such as the Cardinals (whose downfield passing style and skill position players mesh perfectly with Jones’ skill set) the results could be amazing.

At 6’5”, 250 pounds, many would expect Jones to have trouble moving in the pocket, but this is not the case. Combined with his above average athleticism, he is an exceptional runner. He is extremely difficult to bring down in the open field. He can also be a weapon at the goal line for a team, playing a similar role Cam Newton plays for the Panthers. Jones looked like a seasoned veteran during his three game stint as starter. He was able to consistently go through his reads and displayed great patience in letting his receivers get open. He also always keeps his eyes downfield, which allows him to create big plays more often than other quarterbacks. Jones is able to pair his athleticism with his arm strength, which allows for him to be great at throwing on the run. By rolling out, he stretches the defense and can beat them with either his feet or arm. This is a great skill for him to have, and should translate well to the NFL.

Finally, Jones showed great confidence for such an inexperienced player. The bright lights clearly do not faze him, as he stepped up on the biggest stage possible and played better than anyone could have ever expected.

CONS

Inexperience
Tendency to run
Scheme
Immaturity
Ball Placement

Those who aren’t fans of Jones will be the first to point out that he’s only played in three meaningful games (four if you count Michigan, where he came in to replace the injured J.T. Barrett). While this is a valid point, Jones certainly flashed star potential in these three games. While he may currently be considered inexperienced, Jones will have another season to grow and develop as a quarterback.

But, the scheme he plays in does not translate well to the NFL. You may remember another huge quarterback with a big arm who played for Urban Meyer. His name was Tim Tebow, and while he was a great college quarterback, his talent did not translate to the NFL level. The scheme that Jones played in during his three game stretch was over-simplified to account for his inexperience running an offense, and he won’t have this luxury at the NFL level.

Jones also had occasional difficulty with his ball placement. On short yardage throws, he threw over his receivers’ heads, and in front of them multiple times. Finally, he seems to scramble too often. Because of his size and athletic ability, Jones is a good runner. He knows this, and sometimes leaves the pocket too early to scramble for a minimal gain. This will not work in the NFL, as defenders are as fast and big as he is and will be waiting to take a shot at him. Jones needs to work on his pocket mechanics, as he never steps up in the pocket, and tends to bounce outside the pocket too often.

I would also like to see Jones continue to mature and take on a leadership role this year. While he certainly has come a long way since his “we ain’t come to play SCHOOL” tweet, he still seems to stray too close to the edge at times. Recently, he claimed his Twitter was hacked after putting out a series of controversial tweets about female sports fans, and also corrected reports that when he visited a hospital he defeated a sick child 91-35 in NCAA Football ’14. Jones wanted everyone to know that it was actually 98-35. He also threatened to fight the starting center for the Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah. While most of these instances can be laughed off as good natured humor, I’d prefer that a potential franchise quarterback handle himself more seriously. Jones has showed signs of this, as he stated “The NFL has always been my goal and dream. It’s literally right there in front of me, but I also have a goal to graduate. I [am] dedicated to myself and teammates and coaching staff to be the best student-athlete I can be and to graduate. I want to make sure I meet all my goals.” This may sound like typical “student athlete” talk to most, I believe it was an important step in Jones becoming a more focused player and person.

Cardale Jones has all the tools to become an elite NFL quarterback. His down field, gunslinger mentality, paired with his mobility and athletic ability could allow for Jones to become an elite fantasy option as well. If he continues his improvement this season and develops better ball placement and pocket mechanics, he is well on his way to reaching his full potential. But first, Jones must beat out J.T. Barrett for the starting job. If Jones doesn’t win the job, he must continue to focus and buckle down to achieve his stated goal of making it in the NFL. Jones’ maturation will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether or not he becomes a success at the next level.

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