By Scott Anderson
6 weeks ago, Cardale Jones was the backup quarterback for Ohio State, and more famous for a tweet than anything else, and had only completed 10 passes on the season. After an injury to JT Barrett in the Michigan game, Jones was thrusted into the starting role against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. In his first start Jones was tremendous and the Buckeyes rolled 59-0.
The confidence he gained from the Wisconsin game showed against Alabama and Oregon as Jones showcased his howitzer of an arm, and led the Buckeyes to upset victories over the Crimson Tide and Ducks. However, Jones turned the ball over three times in those games and the offense was heavily reliant on the ground game to set up deep passes from Jones.
“Jones has just three games to watch, and those are in an offense that allows for minimal decision-making and features one of the country’s best running backs in Ezekiel Elliot.
Jones has shown potential that reminds many of Cam Newton’s out of Auburn. Jones (6-5, 250) has the ideal body type, ample arm strength across the field and took great advantage of receiver Devin Smith on more than a few deep balls in the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin, the championship semifinal against Alabama and the national championship.
He’s big, strong and tall enough to stand in the pocket and develop there, especially critical for close fourth-quarter games in the NFL. And he has the coveted mobility and power as a runner to not only threaten teams outside the pocket, but pick up substantial chunks of yardage and break tackles in the secondary.
But Jones’ footwork when adjusting his positioning is in need of desperate work. Outside the pocket, his mechanics and vision aren’t on par with NFL standards. Also, the offense he plays in has done a great job of covering his lack of mental development in the game, while also maximizing his running ability.”
Jones is oozing with raw untapped potential, but he only had three games under his belt. The evaluation process would have been difficult, because everyone has seen his games and there’s nothing else to go off of. The combine would have been the deciding factor in his draft position, and going back to school will allow him to develop as a player and as a person.
The new question becomes: What will Braxton Miller do?
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