Cardale Jones: The 2016 Draft’s Biggest Enigma

Cardale Jones is one of the more gifted prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft, but he also has some major question marks.

No other prospect has a wider range of opinions and beliefs than the former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. Some have you believe that he’s a potential Cam Newton and there’s film and physical traits that can back up that argument. Some have you believe that he’s JaMarcus Russell 2.0 and there’s film and physical traits that can back up that argument.

And even where he’s going to be drafted is almost impossible to tell. Some draftniks think he could be a late first round pick and some have him as a 7th round pick. The only thing that everyone agrees upon is that he’s a project at quarterback. The divergence in opinion is whether he’s worth the risk.

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What is apparent to me is that Jones has amazing arm talent and on sheer physicality, it’s hard to see a quarterback prospect who’s been such a physical presence since Cam Newton came out. The comparison between him and Jones could be apt. Jones is built like a tank, much like Newton. He’s got an absolute cannon for an arm, much like Newton. But on the flip side, both Jones and newton(as a rookie) stared down his wideouts(newton still does from time to time) and both spray the ball high.

The difference between Newton and Jones and why Newton was a surefire top 10 pick and Jones is an enigma draft stock wise is because Newton performed much better as a college quarterback and exhibited a lot of leadership at Auburn. Jones had an amazing run in 2014 and won a title for Ohio State but then couldn’t hold onto the starting quarterback job in 2015.

To me, there’s no doubt that Jones has the talent and potential to be an All-Pro quarterback in the NFL. Whether he will ever become that kind of quarterback is an enigma. He has to thread a very small needle to become that kind of player.

His ideal situation would be a team with an established quarterback situation but will be looking to replace them in 3-4 seasons. This team would also need a good coaching set up for quarterbacks and understand that they may never see any return from an investment into Jones.

The list of teams that fit these requirements: Dallas, Pittsburgh, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints.

Any team that thinks that they could have a starter before 2019, will be wasting his immense gifts. But unfortunately, the odds are that this is will what happens to him: he gets overdrafted and started at quarterback way too early and busts out.