2019 NFL Draft: Daniel Jones has untapped potential

Kyler Murray might get the hype, but Duke’s Daniel Jones could be the best pro-ready quarterback prospect available in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Jones has the size, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing over 220 pounds, and he also has the coaching, having been tutored by guru David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe is the same man who helped groom both Peyton and Eli Manning, along with countless others over the years.

In three seasons as the starter for the Blue Devils, Jones showed continued improvement. He finished this past year with a career-high 22 touchdowns, 131.7 quarterback rating and 6.9 yards per attempt.

Overall, Jones went 764-for-1,275 with 8,201 yards passing, 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in 36 games played in Duke under Cutcliffe. Add in all the practices and one-on-one training sessions, and we might still be waiting to see just how good he could be.

Remember, Jones played at Duke, not Oklahoma where he had countless four- and five-star recruits at wide receiver, running back and protecting him along the offensive line. With all due respect to the Blue Devil program, they cannot bring in that kind of talent year in and year out to pair with someone the caliber of Jones.

Strength

For Jones, his biggest attributes come in his NFL-ready size and teaching. He’s one of the biggest quarterback prospects available, which gives him an instant leg-up on the competition. Plus, having spent the last four years with Cutcliffe at Duke gives him the intelligence to be set to compete on day one.

Jones didn’t light up the scoreboard very often for the Blue Devils, throwing for just 52 total touchdowns over 36 games, but helped the team go from four wins in 2016 to seven in 2017 and eight last year. That included a national ranking for the first time since 2015.

In each of the past three seasons, Jones threw for at least 2,691 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging over six yards per attempt throughout. Twice he completed at least 60 percent of his throws, including a career-high of 62.8 as a redshirt freshman.

Weakness

We just don’t really know for sure what Jones is capable of. Has he been hindered by the lack of top-tier talent at Duke, or is he what he is? A serviceable, smart quarterback that can lead you to not lose games in the mode of several current signal-callers in the NFL?

The only way we are going to find out what Jones is truly able to do is by putting him alongside NFL talent and seeing how he holds up. His strong completion percentage is a great tool to begin with, but he hasn’t really been able to produce high-end numbers like you want to see.

Draft expectations

Murray is likely to be the first quarterback taken, with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins probably right behind him. With Jones, he is in a group that includes Missouri’s Drew Lock and a couple others as the next guy. Over the past few months, he has been able to separate himself from that second-tier group, meaning he should hear his name in the first round.

Projection: Late first round