Cardale Jones thinking of declaring?
Cardale Jones on entering the NFL Draft: “It’s definitely a ‘who knows’ right now. It’s up in the air right now.”
That sure sounds like a guy with one foot out the door. He would be smart to leave. His stock will never be this high again. If he stays at OSU he will have Barrett behind him and if he struggles he could end up on the bench.
January 13th, 2015 at 4:22 AM ^
that would be....interesting...
we know he isnt interested in "playing school".
i highly doubt this happens, although i am actually hoping it does. not because i want ohio st to lose a good player, but because it would be very interesting to follow his journey to the NFL after 3 college starts.
EDIT: and for what its worth, im not exactly sure how that sounds like someone with one foot out the door. he just won the biggest game of his life, is probably on cloud nine and i would take anything he says for the next 24 hours with a grain of salt
January 13th, 2015 at 8:15 AM ^
Not likely that he beats out Barrett (and Braxton).
January 13th, 2015 at 4:26 AM ^
Players generally say they are coming back even when they aren't. When a player responds like that it usually indicates which way they are leaning.
What possible benefit is there to come back. You seen what happened to Gurley and A&M's tackle. He would have seen what happened to Miller and Barrett.
January 13th, 2015 at 4:38 AM ^
I am not sure NFL teams are ready to base their decision on a kid who has played in 3 games. (High profile games I get it) But he is still not a polished player and not NFL ready. The fear for the BIG and everyone else is that his ceiling is still higher.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:02 AM ^
I doubt it. This kid is Cam Newton's size with good athleticism and showed that he can throw a nice, tight ball down the field, even if his receivers were WIDE open often. I get where teams wouldn't want to waste a high first on him, but he wouldn't make it past the second round. There are too many teams who need a QB to not take a flier on this guy. If he was smaller or hadn't thrown the ball as effectively I get it. But he had a hell of an audition and god knows he doesn't want to end up banged up like Devin did before he can sign a contract. I'd say there's a good chance he's out.
January 13th, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^
I mean, he's like a JaMarcus Russell, but fresher on account of 22 less starts.
(I'm with the camp that Jones would be foolish to declare based on three games. Giving the devil its due, the OSU offensive line went from mediocre at the season's start to stellar last night. While Jones has made good showings, I think a lot of the credit for last night goes to that OL - Jones saw very little pressure all night.)
January 13th, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:53 AM ^
You raise some good points, but I just don't seem him going as a high-round pick based on three games behind a solid line with a lights-out RB in the backfield with him. If he were a prospective 1-2 rounder, then declaring now would make a lot more sense.
If he were projected fourth round or later, he would have to outperform the competition on an NFL roster to make bank. That's tougher to do than to outperform the competition at OSU, even given their talent at QB.
And some of that talent may be headed to Tallahassee next year anyway, leaving only one competitor.
January 13th, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 13th, 2015 at 5:12 AM ^
There are 32 NFL teams. Someone would take a chance on him with a fairly high pick.
There are a lot of teams in need of a QB this year and very few good options in the draft and as FAs. NYJ, Buffalo, Houston, Tennessee, Cleveland, maybe Denver, Philly (you think Chip Kelly couldn't use him), TB, Arizona, and STL.
If Jones stays teams will have more game film and his numbers will drop.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:55 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:53 AM ^
He has three starts, but he did see some playing time all season long. I do understand your point, however, with the NFL rookie salary cap there is absolutely nothing gained financially if he were to return. And for somebody who didn't go to OSU to play skool, the NFL attraction may be too great.
January 13th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
Pro teams draft players for their potential, not necessarily their performance in college. Past Heisman winners Jason White, Eric Couch, Chalie Ward were not drafted or were drafted in the late rounds.
Cardale Jones' talent and combine performance will determine his draft position. His performance in the three games that he played in will help show that he is capable of playing in high pressure game situations but will not be the main determinant of his draft position.
Staying in college is a crapshoot for him, especially if he has to compete for a starting position next season. If an NFL team is willing to invest time in training him, especially a team such as the Eagles, Jones is better off going to the NFL.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
The Browns seem like a team dumb enough to draft this guy in the first round
January 13th, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 4:43 AM ^
there is a huge benefit to coming back. right now, if he went to the NFL, he would likely be a late round pick. yes, he is big and strong and won some big games...but NFL teams are gonna want more film from a guy they are investing a 1st or 2nd round pick into. maybe he gets grabbed by some desperate team in the 3rd-4th round. but he probably would be much better off if he stayed another year and developed as a passer. now, if he is really gonna have to fight for playing time next year,maybe he cashes in on the moment and is happy as a 3rd-4th round pick. i just dont see it happening yet. unless he really hates school that much, i cant imagine him going pro after 3 games...
January 13th, 2015 at 4:49 AM ^
But the point is he may not get any film at OSU the rest of his career. JT Barrett is a RS SO. If he wins the job out of camp and does not get hurt, Cardale Jones is a footnote in history. He wont improve his stock by being at OSU. And he can't transfer as he sits out a year.
I guess as a 5th year senior he could declare but we're talking about a guy who thinks class is optional and again its 2 years down the road. When he could leave now.
Teams are desperate enough to take a chance on him as a poor man's Cam Newton in the 3rd round IMO. He could stew on a bench an entire year and not advance his case one iota. Or go back and try to win a job. But if he loses he loses his bet on himself. It's certainly not a clear cut choice as "he should go back and improve his stock" due to the roadblock in front of him.
January 13th, 2015 at 4:59 AM ^
the more i think about it, the more it makes sense.
as pathetic as it seems, this dude might end up playing 3 college games and be drafted as the 3rd QB off the board if he has a good pro day, workouts, etc.
it is kinda sad to think that it is harder to win a QB job at ohio state than it is in the NFL. lol
January 13th, 2015 at 5:57 AM ^
The kid made an unfortunate statement at one point, and from the sounds of it has figured out how to navigate school at OSU. After watching him play, he actually looks like the best of the 3 QBs at OSU and that is saying something. He defiinitely has the biggest arm, the kid is mobile enough to easily pick up yardage when he needs to, and ran like a damn mack truck when he had to for first downs.
Scary thing is I think OSU is going to be much tougher next year unless a bunch of the young kids declare for the draft.
I think many on this board need to get their fragile psyche together for next fall if we think that OSU and MSU are simply going to fall apart due to Harbaugh being the coach in Ann Arbor. Still need to develop the mentality to play through issues and play hard like I watched last night with OSU and what happened with Baylor for MSU in the Cotton Bowl.
I think Michigan has the players, and if Harbaugh can develop this same mentality they will compete and will be fine. Given the respective performances, Michigan played OSU closer than Alabama or Oregon so there is that much going for the team.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:35 AM ^
This is what I kept thinking during the second half last night. Harbaugh is going to save us from the depths of mediocrity, I really believe that. But Urban is a phenomenal coach who has recruited phenomenal players who, at the moment, are all young. If we beat them next year it will be a miracle for the ages.
January 13th, 2015 at 10:58 AM ^
There's no one to declare for the draft really. Washington said he's coming back. Cardale and Braxton are the only two who could leave with eligibility remaining.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:15 AM ^
The benefit of being a 1st round pick isn't what it once was. Also the QBs for this draft are Mariotta, Winston, Hundley and???.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:46 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^
Lolwut.
He put up 333 yards passing on 65% completion percentage, at a respectable 9.0 yds/pass with 40 rushing yards against a defense with a lot of NFL-caliber players, and his receivers flat dropped another 50 yards worth of passes, all while their O-line was being collapsed play after play.
Mariota is not the reason Oregon lost this game, the fact that their defense couldn't tackle Jones and Elliott is. He may not be a star in the NFL but to say he has little NFL potential based on that game is flawed
January 13th, 2015 at 4:45 AM ^
to be honest, i could care less if he comes back or not. i have seen enough from urbans offense to realize that it doesnt matter how much experience the QB has. he will recruit guys who fit his system and develop them to step right in and produce at a high level.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:19 AM ^
The he can plug and play anyone narrative is tired and in the end proves to be false. Remember John Brantley?
Also people need to remember that this is a team that almost lost numerous games. These guys were very good, but they were not like Carroll's USC. They were not clearly the best team at all. People thinking they are going to win a bunch of titles are going to get a surprise.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:25 AM ^
theyve lost 3 games in the last 3 seasons.....they should have 2 of the last 3 national titles.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:32 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:02 AM ^
Upvote for avatar!!
January 13th, 2015 at 6:27 AM ^
They certainly earned this one, but what is the other national title they should have won? I definitely don't think they were as good as Bama in 2012 (we played both, remember) and in 2013 they lost twice (and almost to us).
January 13th, 2015 at 6:52 AM ^
But in 2012 they would have played ND not Bama.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:16 AM ^
The best team almost loses at least one or two games every year, even when dominant. We can hate that they won it, but let's not take away what they did. They beat the hell out of a very good team with their 3rd string quarterback. You can try to denigrate that if you want, but you'll find yourself in pretty weak company. We can't be hoping for Ohio State to be weak--it's not happening anytime soon. The only thing we can hope for (and finally there is very good reason for this hope) is that Michigan will soon be just as good as they are, setting up epic battles in the B1G once again.
January 13th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^
since he had Playskool* on the bench behind Barrett.
*Dammit, Playskool is turning into an endearing term
January 13th, 2015 at 9:26 AM ^
At Florida, did Urban have a QB recruit equivalent to what he inherited at ohio state? IIRC, Tebow was a Mattison recruit I thought; I thought the Urban recruit was [Cam] Newton and Brantley the following year (Mullen & Meyer)...
Either way, Urban Inherited some gifted players in Miller and Jones before he even recruited Barrett... He's got this team rolling and it kind of sucks knowing they will be there for awhile. Class after class is loaded for them, and I'm still kind of shocked they are able to have such large classes every year... 24-committments this year and still have some to fill it looks like...
January 13th, 2015 at 5:01 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 5:24 AM ^
Anyone think Mariota might just say fuck it and come back one more year?
Winston is deff going top 2. Mariota prolly just fell to top 20. (Hopefully my Eagles can snag him if he does declare)
January 13th, 2015 at 5:26 AM ^
no way.
winston wont go in the top ten and i actually wouldnt be surprised to see him fall to the second round.
mariota goes in the top 5.
i personally dont think either one is all that great. mariota would be fun to watch in the philadelphia offense though
January 13th, 2015 at 5:33 AM ^
Lovie Smith at Tampa loves Winston and he can already hit the tight throws from a pro style offense at FSU all while in the pocket.
Off the field issues will be his only problem, which I don't think will be an issue anymore b/c I think he finally got it through his skull.
Mariota hasn't been that impressive tbh from the past 2 games with stiffer competition. The combine will tell us more. Just don't have enough info from him in the pocket. I think he falls out of the top 10. But then again this is a dry year for Qbs, so who knows.
January 13th, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^
cuz he hasn't done any stupid (or worse) shit in almost 4 whole months?
January 13th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
Winston is definately 1st or 2nd pick. Sorry, that is the way it will go down. Mariota - really hard to say; I love him but he's probably a mid-first rounder. Yes, Eagles would go for him.
January 13th, 2015 at 6:26 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 13th, 2015 at 6:28 AM ^
Yeah just my wishful thinking. I like watching Oregon play.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
Oregon will still be Oregon, They will roll out a new QB just like they have before. To this day, I still think Dennis Dixon is one of the best Oregon QB's I have ever seen play. Even though he destroyed us in '07, he is an amazing Athlete. Imagine who wins the National Championship in 2007 if that dreadful night in Arizona where Dixon's body goes one way and his leg goes another never happens? Oregon may be the dynasty we're talking about and no Alabama...
January 13th, 2015 at 8:35 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 7:22 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 5:28 AM ^
They mentioned that he just had a baby girl this year so that could be another reason to declare.
January 13th, 2015 at 5:30 AM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 6:29 AM ^
You may be right, but I highly doubt Barrett would beat him out for the starting job next season. He has the best arm of any of their QBs and his size makes him really tough to bring down.