The Cardale Jones Movement
January 14th, 2015
Joe asked some NFL scouts at East-West Shrine Game practice yesterday about their quarterback preference — Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston.
Not all wanted to go there, a couple preferred to talk about champion Ohio State QB Cardale Jones.
The gigantic third-year sophomore, with three amazing starts under his belt, can declare for the NFL Draft before tomorrow’s deadline. These scouts were all intrigued by Jones’ success, lack of game film, and his 6-5, 250-pound frame.
They were saying Jones likely has nowhere to go but down in the eyes of the NFL. “The less tape you have, the bigger your potential is,” one scout told Joe.
Of course, he was talking about the perception game. Joe surely thought Jones surely should stay in college and, you know, start more than a few college games. But there is a growing movement for Jones to turn pro.
FOX Sports analyst and former NFL QB Brady Quinn made the same case for Jones on FOX Sports Radio last night, saying Jones definitely should declare for the draft.
“He’s got a ton of upside,” Quinn said. “They only got three games of film on you. Right now, you’re looking pretty good, buddy. Let me justify why. When you come back and start playing again going into a draft-eligible year. All these scouts, all they do is, they don’t look at what you can do, they look at what you can’t do. They try to find the negatives. They try to look at all sorts of things to try to downgrade [you].”
BSPN got into the act late yesterday, with draft guru Todd McShay going deep into Jones and reaching out to scouts to peg Jones as a fourth- or fifth-round pick.
What is Jones’ draft stock right now?
Heading into Monday night’s title game, I would have said that Jones was somewhere in the seventh-round or undrafted free-agent range, but after seeing the way he performed in the championship game win, including the fact he was able to go through his progressions and display outstanding poise, I think he’s more in the fourth- or fifth-round range. I texted three NFL scouts Tuesday morning, and all three pegged Jones as a Day 3 prospect. However, they admitted they would have much more work to do studying him if he declares.
Any NFL team that drafted him would be gambling on his raw tools, and they would need to have a quarterback coach on staff who is: A) willing to invest the necessary time to develop him; and B) capable of translating Jones’ physical abilities to the NFL level.
Bottom line: This is a highly unusual situation. It’d be extremely rare for a quarterback to be drafted after just three games, even one with Jones’ raw abilities. But rarely, if ever, do we see a QB have a three-game debut like the one Jones just put together.
Might the Bucs consider drafting Jones in, say, the fifth-round as a developmental project?
It may sound wacky, but so was signing Josh McCown last season and naming Mike Glennon “quarterback of the future.”
Joe wouldn’t be surprised by anything Lovie Smith does at the quarterback position.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:03 am
He made some very impressive throws Monday without a doubt and he’s a load to bring down. Amazing poise too to come in and arguably upgrade their offense. Arizona wishes they had him and not Lindley as third string. One of the most intriguing draft prospects in recent history.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Trust the tape. There’s not much tape on Jones. Taking him with a high pick would be crazy. However, drafting him as a development project in the 5th or 6th round might be intriguing.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:08 am
Looks like he has the IT factor..
January 14th, 2015 at 11:13 am
Can he play Guard or Tackle?
January 14th, 2015 at 11:13 am
Ezekiel Elliott and the Ohio State OL were much more impressive.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:16 am
Would definitely rather have him than Shameis and all his baggage.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:22 am
I would not be surprised if the bucs drafted two QB’s in the first 4 rounds either.
THE BUCS ARE F@CKING IDIOTS.
Ever since the signing of Jon Gruden and winning the Super Bowl the Bucs ownership group has done nothing to prove otherwise.
I see the Patriots and the Bucs as having the same potential 16 years ago.
The Pats were going now where until they got Belicheck
The Bucs were going places with Dungy but brought in Gruden at about the same time as Belicheck joined the Pats.
They both won superbowls at about the same time.
Once that happened the two teams took a drastic turn. One went on a run of a lifetime. The other went in the toilet.
You can blame ownership and lack of drive for expecting to win.
You can look at the single focus that Robert Kraft has.
And you can look at the Glazers to just be about the money and the bottom line.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:24 am
The most impressive trait in Jones is his compact explosive release….go back and watch his throws. Once he decides to throw it happens fast…unlike Winstons big wind up and 3/4 side arm motion
January 14th, 2015 at 11:25 am
All i have to say about this guy is i think he’s gonna be a stud, he’ll i’d love for the bucs to take him but here’s the thing i don’t think he’ll be there in the 4th. Someone will take him early BET ON IT!
January 14th, 2015 at 11:25 am
This is so sad. The guy has 3 starts ever. He had a RB break records in the BIg Ten Champ game, Rose bowl game, and National Champ game. The OL has played every game this season without missing any. Barrett will be their starter in the spring. If I was Cardale I would ride the momentum and go to the draft. Someone will take him cuz of his size.
He made some terrible reads in the Champ game and over threw multiple passes. He is a beast to tackle tho. But I wouldn’t touch him til atleast the 4th round.
We are going to end up drafting Williams with the 1st pick. And they will prob take the scrub Mannion from Oregon State that our staff in so infatuated with. I’m ok with Williams at #1. Not Mannion tho…
January 14th, 2015 at 11:29 am
Hey……….ALL HE DOES IS WIN right?
January 14th, 2015 at 11:40 am
Still no clarity about who will have the word on schemes, talent, player development. OH! You say HC Lovie. Now that’s really encouraging. Guys say in making draft choices you need to look at “the whole body of work.” Really? Let’s remember how that works out.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:40 am
How many games has he played?
Case made against him.
And, re-watch the game. His impulse is truly run first.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:41 am
I would not want him. The kid has played 3 games and weighs 250 lbs. Get out of town. He needs to lose some weight.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:41 am
He can be what Tebow should have been and become a TE.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:43 am
JoeJoes Fungi Nails Says
“…unlike Winstons big wind up and 3/4 side arm motion.”
You know, any other year, people would point to Winston’s wind up and declare him a future bust.
I just don’t get these fans not seeing him for what he is, you know?
January 14th, 2015 at 11:44 am
Jones is the definition of a running QB. Yet, the ones who dislike Mariota calling him a running QB (laughable at best) want this kid.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:46 am
I would wait until the 5th or 6th round and take Jones just to use him like the Steelers used the Bus.
January 14th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
3rd round. Too much raw ability.
January 14th, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Haha. Yea, Whatever
January 14th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
the money gap between 5th rounder to potentila first rounder if he stays in college and does well next year is too big. I’d be surprised if he declares, it would be the wrong move.
and stop calling me shirley
January 14th, 2015 at 12:25 pm
If he doesn’t declare he isn’t starting at OSU next year. The only way he starts is if he transfers somewhere else next year. Otherwise he is just going to sit behind JT next year.
January 14th, 2015 at 12:57 pm
Jones is physically comparable to Cam Newton….and really nobody else.
Lets go through the stats (Cam v Jones):
YPR: 5.6 v 4.1
Completion percentage: 66.1 v 60.9
TD/INT ratio: 4.29 v 3.9
Cam has the guy beat by approximately 10%. Yes, I’m sure the quality of opponent matters here. I’m also inclined to consider the lack of school over the bowl season.
Lets bring a strong statistic into focus right now. Cardale Jones averaged .5 yards per rush in the 3 wins he is accredited with. 43 rushes for 90 yards in the 3 games. Cam dropped 5.6 per rush over a full season. The discrepancy is due to the fact that Jones did get significant playing time as a backup behind Barrett. To the tune of 26 rushes for 206 yards. Garbage yards.
Jones has natural talent, but the numbers suggest he needs time to develop…and probably a lot of time.
January 14th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
JoeJoes Fungi Nails Says
“…unlike Winstons big wind up and 3/4 side arm motion.”
Big windup? Huh? Tebow had a wind up. Winston makes very quick reads and delivers a quick release accurate pass. Here is something that nobody seems to talk about (check out Trent Dilfers evaluation of Winston), he reads the field and picks apart coverages while throwing receivers open!! Why haven’t I read an article about MM’s ability to do that? Yes he can scramble and throw on the run… so can RG3 and we’ve seen that mess. Reading a defense, calling proper audibles and going through progressions is absolutely key to success in the NFL as a pocket passer. Can MM do that? Or even this kid? BIG QUESTION!!
January 14th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Let just take all qbs with our draft picks and see who works out. It’s the old, throw everything at the wall and sees what sticks trick. That’s about as good as we have ever done with drafting qbs, might as well try it….I’m kidding
January 14th, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Well he can either declare or transfer to Florida or FSU.
I don’t think he would last until the fifth or sixth round, I think he would go in the first round. His three games were the conference championship, the Rose Bowl and the National Championship. If that isn’t pressure, I don’t know what is, and he has both an arm and can run like a fullback or TE.
If we took him in the first round I would be happy, we just need a great QB and a good OL, we have the receivers and backs, oh and a playbook and scheme.
January 14th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Take the money and run. It beats 30k a year in the real world.
January 14th, 2015 at 2:03 pm
No way he goes in the 1st round. What team would waste a 1st round pick on a 3 year project? He needs to start somewhere, but he’ll have to transfer for that. Otherwise go the draft and get drafted in the 4-7 round.
January 14th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
I wouldn’t mind drafting Jones as fifth round pick as long as we draft Mariota/Winston in the first round and some o-line before Jones.
January 14th, 2015 at 4:05 pm
He won’t declare even though he was the clear cut better NFL prospect in the National Championship game. The guy has a cannon, is huge, can run, and is very nimble in the pocket. He is also very patient. He reminds me a lot of, in both good and bad ways, of JaMarcus Russell when he was coming out of college. I think going into his junior year, Jones is on a higher plateau than Russell who only started during his sophomore and junior seasons. Like Russell, I question Jones’ dedication on the field as well as in the classroom and I wonder how mature he is. Like Russell he’s got top of the draft potential, though I saw Russell as a top of the 2nd round type guy, but a lot of that was because the questions about his work ethic were answered when he showed up at the NFL Combine looking like a reject guard from Division 2.
January 14th, 2015 at 4:07 pm
Bill Says:
January 14th, 2015 at 12:57 pm
Jones is physically comparable to Cam Newton….and really nobody else.
Lets go through the stats (Cam v Jones):
YPR: 5.6 v 4.1
Completion percentage: 66.1 v 60.9
TD/INT ratio: 4.29 v 3.9
Cam has the guy beat by approximately 10%. Yes, I’m sure the quality of opponent matters here. I’m also inclined to consider the lack of school over the bowl season.
Lets bring a strong statistic into focus right now. Cardale Jones averaged .5 yards per rush in the 3 wins he is accredited with. 43 rushes for 90 yards in the 3 games. Cam dropped 5.6 per rush over a full season. The discrepancy is due to the fact that Jones did get significant playing time as a backup behind Barrett. To the tune of 26 rushes for 206 yards. Garbage yards.
Jones has natural talent, but the numbers suggest he needs time to develop…and probably a lot of time.
————-
I mean this in the best way possible, but he best compares at this stage of his college career to JaMarcus Russell at the same stage.
January 14th, 2015 at 4:31 pm
Buc Since 74
I don’t know what games you have been watching. But Winston has a baseball delivery. He brings the ball so far back it touches the numbers on the back of the jersey. There is a huge difference between making quick reads and having a long delivery. Its not quite Tebow level, but its not far off.
Defensive lineman in the NFL will cause him tons of problems if he doesn’t fix his mechanics. Taking those .3 or .5 extra seconds, because of bringing the ball so far back, will allow them enough time to either get their hands up to bat it down, or the LBs n DBs have that extra split second to break on his passes. Timing is everything in the NFL. That delivery will not work as is.
January 14th, 2015 at 4:34 pm
And Jones reminds me more of Russell than Cam. He is def run first, but has a cannon like Jamarcus. I do not want a run first QB. His best bet is to either go pro or transfer to a Div 2 school so he can play next season. He needs playing time.
IF he does go pro, some team, in the 1st round, in the teens or 20s will jump on his size and arm strength. And you know every coach thinks they are the guy to make the player into a superstar. I would pass on this kid if I was a GM. Atleast not this year.
January 14th, 2015 at 4:51 pm
Those are some big wins if only a short sampling. I agree somebody else will take him before it dawns on the Bucs to take the reach.
January 14th, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Its an interesting situation for this Cardale Jones kid. There is a possibility that his draft stock may never be higher than it is right now after only 3 games.
I would be willing to bet that if he declares now – that he will be chosen in round 2-3 based soley on hope and “potential”. NFL teams are that desperate to get their hooks into any QB who even remotely resembles a potential future franchise QB.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:11 pm
He has a 6 month old kid. If I was him, I’d jump on it now and take the 400,000 per year salary and see how everything works out.
Brady didn’t start out making millions.
January 14th, 2015 at 11:23 pm
If @joe thinks Cradle Jones isn’t NFL ready – then it tells me that @joe KNOWS why 50% of BucNation, that are NOT ‘nole fans- don’t think Jameis Winston is NFL ready.
I mean – you can throw all the numbers/wins FSU had while sliding through their ACC schedule – they have the same build, same game, and the same number of national championships…
…and I’d have to say Cardale Jones makes MUCH better decisions.
January 15th, 2015 at 8:36 am
He ain’t come to play school.
or perhaps learn a playbook?
January 15th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
please do not draft Jones I was hoping to get away from this team this year.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Oh yeah if Cardale put up those average numbers against Alabama Wisconsin and Oregon could you imagine what he would do against all the not so great teams they play?