Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
Summary: Jones played at Charlotte Latin High School (North Carolina), where he helped the Hawks to a 19-5 record and two state championship appearances in three seasons. He set program records for total offensive yards (8,344), passing yards (6,997) and touchdowns (98).
Jones redshirted in 2015 before becoming the starter for the Blue Devils in 2016.
At the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, Jones tied for first among quarterbacks in the broad jump (10 feet) and ranked second in the 3-cone drill (7.00 seconds) and third in the vertical jump (33.5 inches).
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Jones to Ryan Tannehill, although Jones worked under the same head coach – David Cutcliffe – at Duke that helped develop Giants quarterback Eli Manning as Mississippi’s head coach and Peyton Manning while an assistant at Tennessee. Zierlein listed a number of Jones’ strengths, including “outstanding” accuracy on intermediate-distance throws, ability to work quickly through progressions and the resolution to remain in the pocket to make a play “despite impending blow.”
“Jones doesn’t have special arm talent, but he can make pro throws and has the ability to attack deep with accuracy,” Zierlein said. “He completed just 59.9 percent of his career passes, but his receivers – who dropped 38 passes this year alone – really struggled to get open at times. Jones has good football IQ and is relatively mobile, but he appears to be more of a game manager than ‘franchise’ talent. He's more of a Day 2 draft pick than Day 1.”
Click here to read Jones’ full profile on NFL.com.
Stacking up: NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks ranked Jones as this year’s fourth-best quarterback, while The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tabbed Jones No. 2 among draft-eligible QBs. Daniel Jeremiah initially put Jones at No. 32 in his list of Top 50 prospects but bumped him down to 35 in his post-combine rankings. Jeremiah also noted that Jones’ stats were affected by dropped passes.
Passing connections: “I had the opportunity to watch him work out, be on the field with him and spend some time with him down at the Manning passing camp in Louisiana. I've built somewhat of a relationship, and being able to talk to him, I wouldn't say we communicate a whole lot outside of those interactions, but having that relationship with him, Coach Cut’ and Peyton, as well, is a unique perspective and something I've been fortunate to have.”